FFVII 100 Drabbles
by GW Katrina
Summary: My replies to the Insanejournal FFVII 100 community prompts. Variety of characters, situations, and ratings. Proceed with caution.
1. Job Perks, Character's Children

On Insanejournal, there is a weekly prompt series called FFVII 100. I tend to write for it on a regular basis. One hundred word drabbles, focused around FFVII and prompts given out on each week. Well, now I'm going to post them here as well. Each chapter should be be at least one week's prompt replies, maybe more than one week.

Various ratings, characters, and I don't own FFVII.

_**Job Perks**_

**Bike**

(Cloud)

The fresh air, seeing people smile when he gave them a package from a loved one. That's why Cloud did this job with a smile.

Though, sometimes, he did it simply because it let him get away from everything.

Edge, the remains of Midgar, and a cliff with a sword and a church full of flowers.

The traveling though was one of the best reasons. He got to like roaming, and being the driver of a delivery service provided that.

Coming home was nice, too.

Still, the very best thing about his job was getting to ride his bike.

_**Character's Children**_

**Your Eyes**

(surprise)

The first time she held her girl, she could feel the strength in her. Just like her father.

She nurtured that strength, even when her baby's dad never came home.

She never knew what happened, if he died, if he had just left. Maybe he was still out there, wanting to come back to her.

She had never told him she was pregnant. Didn't known until over a month after he had gone.

One day, watching the dark haired little girl playing, she knew what had happened.

Looking into the rain, she shut her eyes.

"She has your eyes, Zack."

**Unsure**

(Vincent, Cloud, mention of Tifa)

He never expected to hold a child like this. After Hojo's testing, the demons. Vincent expected that to count against him.

He wasn't sure if he wanted this. It was possible that, like many times in his life, he would end up doing the wrong thing. Like he had before.

The touch drew his attention from the baby.

Cloud smiled at him. "Tifa is sleeping. She wanted me to make sure that you didn't have yourself a panic attack."

Vincent nodded. He wasn't sure about this, but his lovers were strong enough to make sure that it would be fine.

**Power**

(Rufus)

There was no great company to hand over, no name of power or glory.

Rufus Shinra was almost pleased at that.

It meant that his daughter would have to start from scratch, have to build her own name up into power. She would rule, it was in her blood, but the way she came to that power would be her own.

He had obviously been watching the eco-terrorists too much if that sort of shit was coming to mind. But, watching her play Horsie with Reno did bring to mind plans of taking over the world.

Especially when she kicked.

**Blond Toy**

(Cloud, Nanaki)

They didn't know how close it came to them never being born.

If Nanaki had his way, they wouldn't.

It involved labs, and saving children who had be created in a tube from a fate that he would never condemn them or any others to.

For that, he would always be grateful to Cloud.

Maybe he should rescue the man, who was playing "toy" for Nanaki's children.

Or maybe Nanaki would just sit where he was and watch. Cloud was his friend, but the man had been too quiet for too long. Outliving everyone did that to people.

Even heros.

**Present**

(Barrett, Marlene)

"Dad!"

"Hey!," he shouted back, scooping Marlene up and swinging her around once before hugging her. "You been good?"

She nodded, smiling brightly, and he could see his friends smile clearly. "I've been good. Tifa's been showing me basic moves!"

His baby girl sounded so excited about it that Barrett had to smile for her. "Got a present."

Marlene bounced in his arms. "What?"

When he gave her the flower seeds, he smiled again, listening to her go on about how she was going to plant them in the church.

It was good to make his daughter smile like that.

**Children of Heroes**

(Mentions of Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Vincent, Sherra, and Johnny)

They were the children of heroes. No matter how much the older ones tried to hide it, the kids knew what the world talked about.

Heroes of the Jenova War.

No matter how much their parents had left that behind them, it always managed to pop up. Even when they had moved on, like Tifa finally married Johnny, or when Cid finally roped Vincent and Sherra into whatever they had.

There was no surprise, when Sephiroth came yet again, they went with Cloud. No matter how the others tried to stop it, their kids were just too much like themselves.

**Roofwalkers**

(Cloud, Tifa, mentions of Yuffie)

"STOP RUNNING ON THE HOUSE!"

He paused, listening carefully, hearing children giggle.

Shaking his head, Cloud looked at Tifa, who was hiding a smile behind her hand. "I never expected this, you know," she said. "It never even really formed in my mind."

Cloud gave a small smile back. "Mine, either. But, you know how things are…?"

"I do. Sometimes, I wonder what I would have done if Rude hadn't asked me out?" She smiled. "But you and Yuffie getting together…."

"I know. Though I didn't expect our kids to inherit the love of heights we both got."

**Beginning**

(Tseng)

It was a simple exercise. Hit, step, hit, step. The first, most basic steps of any hand to hand fighting. At least in the styles he knew.

The world wasn't a nice place, and Tseng refused to let his child go without being able to defend himself

The boy would never be big. Not with Tseng and Elena for parents. Both of them were fine-boned. But they were fast, and he would train his son to use that speed.

Perhaps, he would end up using in to help defend Rufus's daughter.

They were already protective of each other.

**Cycles**

(Cloud, mentions of Vincent and Nanaki)

Children were born, and they grew up. Soon, they would find someone to be with themselves.

It was life, and Cloud knew it.

Still, it hurt to watch those he knew grow old and die.

Especially his children.

Vincent and Nanaki were still around. They were the last two, and he spent a lot of time with them.

But he never failed to do this.

Sitting by her bed, Cloud kissed his youngest granddaughter's forehead as she fell asleep. She wouldn't wake up, and he knew it.

But he would still be here for her, to say goodbye.


	2. Anthropomorphism, Most Hated Character

_**Anthropomorphism**_

**Mother**

(The Planet)

They are her children.

They are a plague.

They are her murders, as well as those who save her.

She will destroy them one day, just to save what she can. But it is not today, though she is tempted.

They take what they want, and do little to give back.

But they are life, and she is their mother.

Though her, they flow, pale, green, joining things that they had killed.

Only to rip that glow out to power their own desires.

They are humans, and they live in her, on her, and she will keep them.

For now.

**Growing**

(Aeris's Flowers-The jungle covering Midgar)

We started from such humble beginnings. Just a few flowers in a broken church, where a stray beam of sun gleamed down. We grew on water, earth, her love, and the love she had with another. They liked to be together among us, and from them, we grew strength.

He's our father, in a way, just like she is our mother.

When destruction came, we grew, the power of the world there for us. When the water came, we grew, if more scattered.

For years, we have grown, and we have spread.

This place of humans is ours now.

_**Most Hated Character**_

**Contamination**

(Unnamed Cetra and a surprise)

I hate it. This thing that creeps in my blood, my bone. I can't be rid of it, no matter how I try.

I hate it for taking my body, my home. For destroying everything it touches.

I hate it for wearing my face while destroying my people, driving them to the point where they are almost all gone.

I cheered when they sealed us and set guards, to make sure it was never free again.

I hate humans, for finding us, setting it free again.

For naming it.

I was someone else, once.

Now I bear its name.

Jenova.


	3. Crossovers

_**Crossovers**_

**Falling Star**

(Jenova)

Crossover with Howl's Moving Castle

They were not the only thing to come from the sky.

The things of this world dubbed them Calamity from the Sky. Jenova. It did not matter to them. They were what they were. They infected, they claimed. They devoured life and made it their own. They were simply them, and they took what they needed to survive.

It did not stop the being that the world called Jenova from cringing when she saw falling stars.

Magic came from more than materia, and all it took was one person trading their heart for power to ruin things they had planned.

**Remembering**

(Zack, Sephiroth)

Crossover with Bleach

"Took long enough for the memories to come back. Reincarnation sucks."

The voice was a purr, and Sephiroth shook his head. Her head.

It was strange to be so comfortable in a female body.

Zack seemed to love the fact that not only was he a girl, but he could turn into a cat.

"Still have to decide if I'm supposed to call you Seph or Soifon." The woman grinned. "I noticed Spike still has spikes, though he has your coloring." The dark skinned woman who had once been Zack Fair smiled.

"Nice to have us all together again."

**Speed**

(Cloud, Kenshin)

Crossover with Rurouni Kenshin

They talked about demons. How the whirlwinds that tore through the realm were the fault of two demons, which were constantly fighting with blades and speed.

"You know, I think that last group was trying to purify us."

Kenshin looked at his sparring partner. Since they had first met, the pair had wandered together. Both of them were odd, long-lived, though Kenshin had not realized at first how long his friend had been alive.

"This one agrees, Cloud-san. Perhaps we should find a new place to practice?"

"That," Cloud said after throwing a snowball at Kenshin, "sounds like a plan."

**Found**

(Cloud, Zack, Naruto)

Crossover with Naruto

The pair stared at each other. It wasn't hard to see why, given the way they matched. Cloud was the first to talk.

"Naruto?" he said softly, eyes wide.

The blond boy on the other team jolted, and eyed Cloud warily. "How do you know my name?" he asked.

"Mom…they told Mom you were dead," he said. "My mom is Nidara Namikaze." He paused. "Her brother, Minato, the Fourth Hokage, died fighting the Kyuubi, and they told her that Naruto, his kid, was dead."

There was dead silence. Then Zack spoke up.

"Looks like we need to talk."

**Battle of Words**

(Cloud, Tifa)

Crossover with Heralds of Valdemar

_I think that this is a risk. Now that people know who you are, you are a much bigger target for assassins._

Cloud patted the side of Tifa's neck. She turned her head, glancing back with a blue eye that definitely had a hint of worry in it.

"It'll be okay. Besides, I want to visit the others. Besides, anyone attacking me would be an idiot. Firestarter, remember?"

_Like the world isn't full of idiots_, the Companion said sweetly.

Okay, he had walked into that one. "All right. Point for you," Cloud chuckled.

One day, he'd win.

**Found in Ice**

(Hojo, Abel)

Crossed with Trinity Blood

It took them years to translate the words found on the pod's casing. They could have just named it, like they had with Jenova, but the strange letters presented far too interesting a mystery.

Nobody knew where it had come from, but it was found not far from where Jenova had been, and there were more than one person who was intrigued by it.

Eventually, they translated it.

"Escape Pod 04." That was on the pod itself, and inside, they found a pale, silver haired male. On him, was more writing.

"Crusnik 02. Abel Nightroad."

Hojo was far too pleased.

**Discussions**

(Cid Highwind, Charlie Eppes)

Crossed with Numb3rs

He, Charlie Eppes, was arguing physics.

With a man from another plane.

Figuring out the odds of this would be fun. He was already doing it in the back of his mind, though a full calculation would have to wait until he had a chance to get at a blackboard.

Right now, he was having a far too interesting discussion with the man in front of him.

This Cid Highwind was probably the most interesting person Charlie had ever met.

And he wasn't even from this world.

Though he certainly cursed like few people Charlie had met before.

Very prolific.

**Sisters**

(Jenova, Mary Beth)

Crossed with The Faculty

They liked to travel.

All of them were female, beings who could shapeshift, who traveled among the stars, feeding. They were sisters, all of them.

She gave a low thrum over the connections that bound them all. Connections from the mother of them all.

Her sister had found a home, been Named.

They called her the Calamity from the Sky. Her sister called herself Jenova.

A title, and a self chosen name.

Mary Beth smiled, looking at this place they called Oh-hi-o.

Perhaps she would earn her own title of distinction, instead of a name she had chosen from herself.

**Improbability**

(Crew of the Heart of Gold, Sephiroth)

Crossed with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy universe

They blame the Infinite Improbability Drive. Still, when one used something that wasn't, theoretically, possible, if highly improbably, one should really expect things of this nature.

Still, the people who had slightly stolen the Heart of Gold were pretty sure that this sort of improbability was not what they had signed up for.

Though two of them hadn't signed up for anything, as Arthur was quick to point out.

Especially when the thing they had not signed up for included tall men, with extremely good muscle tone, and long, long swords.

The silver hair was just too much as well.

**Passing the Time**

(Zack, Wolfwood, Spike, Lilith)

Crossed with Trigun, Cowboy BeBop, and Trinity Blood

Wolfwood hummed, dealing the cards. Around him, the easy chatter between the others spoke of a long friendship.

Spike rose, showing off a kata. Wolfwood kept dealing, even as he watched. Zack watched as well. Where Wolfwood preferred his guns, Zack enjoyed fighting hand to hand as well as with his blade.

"Boys, stop showing off and play," came the voice of their one female companion, who was looking at her cards. Lilith looked pleased, but Wolfwood had learned long ago not to trust her face.

They had been playing a -long- time.

Even the dead got bored while waiting.

**Waking**

(Hojo, Abel)

Crossed with Trinity Blood

He had been asleep so long that waking seemed like just a strange dream.

It was hard to focus, especially when those around him were talking in a gibberish tongue.

Even if he couldn't understand their words, though, he did understand that he was trapped in some sort of lab. And that the man with dark hair seemed far too interested in him.

He was not the only one there. Something else, female, with pale hair, was also in the labs.

There were needles involved, and he slowly began to learn.

The first was the man's name.

Hojo.

**Brothers**

(Vincent, Abel)

Crossed with Trinity Blood

Vincent hated it. He watched as Hojo tested and prodded Lucrecia, always coming up with some new test.

As much as he hated that someone else was exposed, it was almost soothing to Vincent to have the other, the one they call Crusnik. The man didn't say much, simply watched. Most of the time he slept, and Vincent wondered if it wasn't the best idea. If you didn't respond, they couldn't do as much damage.

One day, unexpected, Crusnik spoke.

"My name is Abel," he said, voice soft. "And I plan on leaving this place."

"Interested?"

**Escape**

(Vincent, Abel, Sephiroth)

Crossed with Trinity Blood

The room was gore filled, the thick metallic scent clinging to the insides of sensitive noses.

Those who had had the chance to see their doom coming had no idea what had been attacking them.

One dark, with a ragged mane and horns, talons on paws tore through them.

The other was more human. Barely. He smiled at them, wings spread, bolts of power crackling, murmuring about tasteless blood, even as he drank.

Blood soaked, menacing, it did not stop them from pausing at a sound.

The beastly one left, and returned.

In its front paws was a pale child.

**Interesting Items**

(Aeris, Tommy, Merton)

Crossed with Big Wolf on Campus

"I'm serious. All sorts of weird things happen around those things," Merton scowled as the other boy continued to look at the globe. Tommy tuned him out, only to start listening again at "grow my eyebrows back. That itches."

Tommy blinked, then looked at Merton, about to ask what he meant by that. Then the red globe he was playing with warmed, glowing brightly.

When it faded, there was a girl sitting on the floor.

"Ow," she said, frowning, though it faded when she saw the pair. "Hello. My name is Aeris."

"I like this thing," Tommy said finally.

**Tea**

(Cloud, surprise)

Surprise Crossover

When Cloud had heard rumors of a dragon, he had decided to check them out. He didn't really want to fight said dragon, but they did tend to collect the oddest and most useful things. Maybe he could find that Minerva band for Marlene like he had been hunting for. He was already going to pass his Escort Guard over to Denzel.

The 'dragon' though, was nothing like he expected.

The man smiled at him, and Cloud blinked back at him, confused.

"Please, sit down. Have some tea." He paused to sip at said tea.

"My name is Iroh."

**Visions of Wings**

(Aeris)

Crossover with Escaflowne

She learned a lot of things when she died. The horrible static that had been between her and their words while she had been alive faded as she joined the Lifestream.

Still sucked to be dead. At least Zack was with her, as depressing as that was. And he was just as fascinated with what she learned as Aeris herself was.

Like the fact her people had been travelers, names changing from world to world. Cetra was the most common variation, as that was what they called themselves. Draconians was another.

At least she understood the dreams about flying, now.


	4. Cid Highwind, Gender Bending

_**Cid Highwind**_

**Punks**

(Cid, kids)

He really was irritated with the little punks. Didn't they have anything better to do than to come around and harass him? Didn't they know that he had better things to do that to listen to their snot nosed questions and talk about things they obviously didn't know about?

Still, Cid scowled and answered every question, muttering about how stupid they were, but still making sure to get all the details right.

They were brats, but if he didn't set them straight right now, he'd have a crew full of idiots in ten years time.

**Arguments**

(Cid, Reeve)

None of the secretaries knew what he was saying, but they were very careful to stay away from the door. The man was very loud, and there was no end on speculation on why Mr. Tuesti let someone talk to him like that.

Those that had been around longer knew that Mr. Tuesti and Mr. Highwind were traveling companions, from when Meteor had almost killed them all.

A few who were actually close to the pair knew that Highwind and their boss were always tinkering with something. And they were better friends than they acted.

Still, the explosions were unnerving.

_**Gender Bending**_

**My Son**

(OC, surprise)

She knew how the others in this village were sometimes. She was aware of how spiteful they could be. How cruel others were.

She didn't want it for her child.

The midwife was her friend, the only one she had in this place. They went out together, traveled through the mountains finding things she needed. She helped out the woman when she could, and they would chat into the night over a variety of things.

So when her child was born, her friend promised to keep the secret.

"Cloud," she said softly, looking at the girl child. "My -son-."

**Discovery**

(Cloud)

It wasn't until he had turned twelve or so that he realized that he was different. His mother had always told him that he was a boy. Cloud had always believed her. At least until then.

That was when he was given the facts about his body, how it was female, and he should always hide that.

Not that it was hard. He didn't get along with anyone. The kids were stupid, and adults ignored him mostly.

That was when he decided to leave.

He was going to be a SOLDIER and prove that he could do anything.

**Hard Work**

(Cloud)

It was hard. Cloud was smaller than the others, slimmer and lighter built. He hated that, hated it when others teased him about his features, his size, how feminine he looked.

That really irritated him.

Though it was hard to hide the truth. Cloud had a few friends here, but it was difficult. His extra practices weren't just to build himself up, but to make sure that he could shower alone. He worked hard, he made sure to keep himself bound, learned to move like the guys.

He would make it, though.

Cloud was going to be a SOLDIER

**Biology**

(Cloud, Zack)

Grinning, Zack draped his arm over the blond's shoulders. "Hey there, Spiky," he said cheerfully. The boy rolled his eyes, and jabbed his elbow into Zack's side. As they walked, the pair started to chat.

There was something off about Cloud, but it didn't seem to be bothering him, so Zack let it be, though he was curious. It was an odd scent. Cloud seemed fine, so Zack just enjoyed hanging out with his younger friend.

///

Cloud waved at Zack as the older boy took off to report for a mission. He sighed.

Periods sucked. Stupid body.

**Crash and Burn**

(Cloud, Hojo)

Hojo was unhappy with how events had gone in Nibelheim. Sephiroth was his best creation, and no unenhanced human should have been able to defeat him. Even the First Class SOLDIER with him shouldn't have had a chance. That some regular human had done so was frustrating.

Even more so when Hojo had the subjects placed into Mako tanks.

Female.

A female had defeated Sephiroth. An unenhanced female at that.

The fact the blonde was female did throw a few issues into his plans, but Hojo could work around them.

Especially on a subject who was born in Nibelheim.

**Talking**

(Zack, Cloud)

"Spikey, you know, for a girl, you are really heavy."

The blonde didn't move, just continuing the plodding pace next to him.

Zack wasn't sure what Hojo had done to his friend, but Cloud was heavier, built more male than female.

Though that had been a surprise. Zack wished that Cloud had trusted him enough to let him know the truth.

Though he could see why not.

"Aeris is going to love you," he said, just to fill the silence. "Though she'd want to dress you up."

He imagined the disgusted noise Cloud gave him, and laughed.

**Dress**

(Cloud)

The dress.

Oh, he hated that dress. It irritated him to no end to have to put it on and to wear it.

For most of his life, Cloud had hidden the fact he was a girl. And now it was shoved out into the open, where everyone could see it.

It didn't matter that Aeris thought he was a boy still, that Cloud still thought of himself as male. Anyone looking at him saw a pretty, -delicate- girl. Everything he had trained hard to never be.

Tifa better appreciate this.

It was even worse when he got picked.

**Touch**

(Cloud, Sephiroth)

It still jarred him at times. It wasn't that Cloud didn't remember he was a girl. And he assumed that this was why people never saw any female SOLDIERs, that something in the mako treatment diminished female traits and enhanced male.

At least until the Northern Crater.

"So odd," purred Sephiroth, fingers tracing Cloud's cheek. "So sly, to hide the truth from everyone. Hojo is a fool to consider you a failure." Then Sephiroth pressed him down, hands moving low on Cloud.

For the first time in his life, Cloud had someone treat him like a female.

**Curiosity**

(Tifa)

Tifa was confused.

She wondered if Aeris knew.

Probably. She was good at knowing things she shouldn't.

The doctor suggested it might have been some sort of effect caused by the lifestream.

Tifa was beginning to wonder.

She had thought Cloud had been a boy, but he was pretty. Always had been. The boys back home had teased him over his looks, and the way he looked in a dress….

Still, she would ask when he was awake.

If he remembered anything that was real.

Though she hoped that remembering what gender he was would be a real memory.

**Bribe**

(Tifa, Cloud)

"How did you even get in?"

Cloud shrugged. He hated talking about this anyway, and he had dragged Tifa off so that none of the others could hear as soon as she asked.

"I bribed the doctor."

His tone was flat. "Mom had an All she sent with me just to do that. Fully mastered. I offered that to him if he promised to keep the fact I was a girl off the records."

There was a moment of quiet as Tifa processed everything so far.

"So," she asked finally. "Does that make us lesbians?"

The question made Cloud sputter.


	5. Childhood, Hidden Talents

_**Childhood**_

**Last of His Kind**

(Nanaki)

Author's Notes: This is part of my crack, where humans and Nanaki's species produce cubs, not human babies.

His eyes were blue, but already curiosity showed in them. He snuffled at his mother's fingers as she smiled and looked at his father.

Some people might find it odd, having parents that were two different species, but for Nanaki, it was how it always was. Outsiders didn't understand, but wherever he went in Cosmo Canyon, nobody looked down at it. Instead, he found ready playmates, who tumbled him around, careful of him. He was small still, his parents only cub so far.

He was special.

He was Nanaki, child of Seto, one of the last of the his kind.

**Summertime**

(Barret, Dyne)

They were coal miners sons. It was expected by them, by their families, that they'd be coal miners themselves someday.

Not that it mattered right now.

Barret grinned, and let go of the rope. With a yell, he landed next to Dyne with a splash, the sound of his best friend's yells muffled by the water. When he surfaced, he only got a gasp of air before his friend dove shoved him back under.

It was the perfect summer, and he was having fun playing with the other kids.

Being a grown up was a long way off, after all.

**Dabs**

(Cid)

His mother was a scientist.

Because of her, he knew how the birds flew, and how planes did the same. She explained mechanics and often went around the house with a smear of grease on her cheek. She'd smile and dabbed his nose with thick black.

His father was the dreamer, painting the birds, not caring how they flew, just that they did, feathers spread. He didn't care about planes, either, except when he was asked to paint on one. Or when they were late bringing the town's supplies and his paints didn't come.

He dabbed Cid's nose in colors.

**Introductions**

(Genesis, Angeal)

He eyed the other boy, unsure of why his parents had brought him here of all places.

It was so dirty here, and he wrinkled his nose, wanting to go back to his room, with his books. He was trying to learn to read better. His dad said they would buy him a copy of Loveless. It had been so cool to go to the play that he really wanted to read the book.

He looked at the other boy, who was a bit dirty, but smiling brightly.

"I'm Angeal," the boy said.

"Genesis."

And the first introductions were made.

**Routine**

(Sephiroth)

Every day was the same. Wake up. Eat. Have his heart and temperature read, be weighed, his blood oxygen tested.

Run through the simulations. Run through his exercises. See Hojo, be have his reflexes tested. Get his mako shot.

Eat, read. Do his lessons, read what he was given, recite what he was told. Test his memory, test his mental reflections.

Eat, wash. Sleep. Wake up the next day to do it again.

Once a week, spend a day in the tank. That was his variation. The voices, the murmurs. They changed, constantly.

Confused him.

He was used to routine.

**Pack**

(Angeal Clone)

He was young. The one he had been created from was older. Human.

Not he.

He watched them enter the church. The one who caused warmth in his chest, wing fluttering slightly. Dark hair, different. He didn't know how. Just that it was.

From the original?

No matter. He was pack. She was pack. Smelled of care and affection. Mates?

He was too young for such.

The dark haired one told him to stay.

And he did.

He was just a child, but children could protect pack.

Eventually, he left to protect another.

It had been a good childhood.

**Snow**

(Sephiroth, Cloud)

He didn't like this place. Colder than the labs, full of strange smells.

Though it did smell clean, especially when the snow fell.

Sephiroth had never seen anything like it before. He had always stayed inside. Now they were testing his endurance to natural elements.

Someone was going to end up punished, hopefully not him. Locking him out of the mansion as a "test" would go over poorly with Hojo.

"Hi!"

He blinked, and looked up.

There was perched a small blond child.

"You aren't from Nibelheim, are you?"

He shook his head. The boy smiled.

"I'm Cloud."

**Materia**

(Yuffie, mentions of Zack)

The war was stupid and she hated it. Always being told to go away, to go play.

She was a ninja.

That SOLDIER saw it. He kept showing up, and she knew he took her seriously. Really. She was the great Yuffie, of -course- he'd take her seriously.

Especially after she took his materia.

She couldn't use it, so gave it back.

One day, she'd be the best materia user out there, and she'd take everyones materia.

Then she would show Zack who the best really was.

Then he could take her to get ice cream.

**Sky**

(Aeris)

In a way, she missed the labs.

They were familiar, they had her Mama, her flowers. She knew the doctors, even if they hurt her sometimes, some of them were nice.

Elmyra-lady was a nice person, but she wasn't Aeris's mama. But she knew, the same way she knew about her Dad, that her Mama wasn't coming back.

Outside had taken her away.

She felt better once the voices went quiet, and she found the flowers.

But her mother had always talked about the sky.

The sky had taken away her mother.

Aeris wanted to avoid it.

**Odd**

(Tifa, mentions of Cloud)

Pretty. Cute. Adorable.

The last really irked.

Tifa hated being called adorable. But she did like the attention.

She was an only child. Given everything she wanted. She -liked- it when people paid attention to her.

So when Cloud Strife had asked to talk to her, she was pleased. He was one of the few who hadn't hung on her every word. Which made him…odd.

Odd wasn't liked here.

Maybe was why she wasn't surprised when he was leaving.

Maybe, after she finished her lessons with her teacher, she'd go, too.

Odd was better than adorable.

**Coming Home**

(Zack, Zack's Mother)

He was an energetic child. Always running, exploring. Seeing what was in that hole or up that tree. Always coming home with some new cut or bruise. Sometimes with a new pet or three. Once he had come home with a birds nest that had fallen on the ground.

One thing his parents could always count on, though, was Zack coming home.

It was the only think that kept his mother from worrying too much when she'd see him tearing off into the woods with his friends. That he'd come home. Always.

She would always count on that.

_**Hidden Talents**_

**Languages**

(Zack, Angeal, Veld)

When Zack Fair first joined the Shin-Ra military, he had almost been routed to the Intelligence department. His knack for languages and his part Wutianese blood had been noticed, and they were always looking for good spies.

But his determination to get into SOLDIER kept them from getting a hold.

Though the Turks almost snagged him up. Once Reno reported on who was actually hacking the card readers and setting the pranks, Veld had considered it.

However, Angeal convinced him he didn't need two Renos. Veld let the young man go into SOLDIER.

He admitted, Angeal played it well.


	6. Alternate Universes

This is going to be a big one. AUs with names(PuppetKitty, Mercverse) can be found on my Insanejournal(icedark_elf at insanejournal dot com) for more details on them if you find the drabbles interesting.

_**Alternate Universes**_

**Joke**

(Aeris, implied Aeris/Zack/Cloud)

This is based off Fluffy, a het challenge fic.

Humming to herself, Aeris slowly started to mix the two potions together. She still hadn't figured out what Sephiroth had used to grace herself and her two dragon-blooded lovers with extra parts, but it was fun trying to find out.

She didn't mind some much, and she was rather sure the other two didn't either, but it was getting difficult to keep adjusting clothing for tails, and Cloud was going to pop if one more person teased him over his feathers.

All in all, it had been a very successful joke.

Now they needed to plot revenge.

**Sea Songs**

(Zack, Sephiroth)

This one is from Salt and Spice, a yaoi challenge fic.

The sea murmured to him, and he sang back to her. Moving on the bridge, the particular sway that was as much dance as walk, he paced the length of his ship. Best prize yet. The Seabird had been liberated from the Shin-Ra navy, and he greatly appreciated their donation.

Even more so as it let him play a delightful game of chase with their top Admiral, Sephiroth.

Someday, he was going to ask how he could stand to have such long hair on a ship.

Until then, Zack would just dance around him on the waves, singing sea songs.

**Brothers**

(Zack, Sephiroth, Cloud)

Fairy Tale AU.

"Brother. Up."

Small smile on his lips, Sephiroth crouched and collected his youngest brother. Cloud was only three, but he was already dedicated to following Sephiroth everywhere the twelve year old would let him.

Settling the blond on his hip, he went looking for their other brother. He hadn't seen Zack outside at all, so that must mean the boy was reading.

With Cloud holding tight, cheek resting on Sephiroth's shoulder, he headed for the library.

As they rounded the corner, he paused.

Zack was talking to the cat.

And…the cat was talking back.

Typical Zack weirdness.

**Creeping In**

(Vincent, Hojo, Lucrecia)

Qilin based.

He had not realized what had been happening until too late.

Hojo and Lucrecia had always been so curious about things. So focused on what could be instead of what was going on around them.

He was their balance, so he did just that, taking care of them in ways that they'd never think of as they explored some new mystery.

Maybe that was why he had missed it.

When his dragon and phoenix fell to a demon, he had missed it, too focused on outside, not enough on the inside.

Vincent still wished he could fix it all.

**Court**

(Rufus, with mentions of Veld, Tseng, Cloud, and Zack)

Mercverse Fic

Sighing as another session of Court started, Rufus Shinra wondered if he couldn't 'accidentally' set off an explosion.

It wouldn't really take much. Just attempting some minor fire spell. Like all the Shinras, and their origin clan, Strife, Rufus had issues with magic.

Though, if he did, Veld would frown at him again, which would make Tseng frown.

The crown prince really didn't like it when his bodyguards frowned at him.

Ooh, there was Cloud, and his adopted kid, Zack.

Zack was always fun for a few minutes of chaos.

Rufus waited for the fun to start.

**Too Tight**

(Tifa)

She just couldn't handle it anymore. Everything seemed to be closing in. Her dad was talking about marriage and she didn't want to get married to anyone here. This town always seemed so small, part of the reason she was a guide was to get out. And now, with him talking who was a good match, it closed tighter.

So she left.

Following the trail of more than more person, she moved out of the mountains. There was only one place to go. One place where she could be more than just 'the mayor's daughter'.

To Midgar.

**Not Allowed**

(Tifa, Reno)

"What do you mean I can't be a SOLDIER?"

Tifa all but growled at the man, who held up his hands. "I'm sorry, but women aren't allowed into the SOLDIER program."

She scowled at him. Slamming her fist into his table, she felt some satisfaction as wood cracked.

"I think," came a voice behind her, "that you should come with us."

Turning at the drawl, she scowled at the redhead. "Why?"

Looking at the table, the man smirked.

"Can't get you into SOLDIER, but I bet my boss might want to talk to you."

Turks.

Crap.

**Sparring**

(Tifa, Rude)

Twisting, he moved out of the way of her strike. Snatching at the thin wrist, he frowned slightly as she spun away.

Problem with sparring with someone who was lighter than himself. She was quick.

Rude just mentally shrugged and moved after her, falling easily into a rhythm of strike and bloke. If nothing else, the girl was very well trained. And she was a fighter, not someone who had learned to just say they knew.

It had been a while since he had the joy of someone who knew what they were doing in a hand to hand spar.

**Welcome**

(Tifa, Rude, Reno, Veld)

"Welcome to the Turks."

Simple words, the only ceremony was being handed her first suit.

She'd done it.

Nodding at Veld, she held her glee in until she stepped out of the office, though she was sure he knew how pleased she was.

"Well then, looks like you passed."

Reno draped an arm over her shoulder. She elbowed him.

"I think," he said, "that you should be putting that on, and come with me and Rude. It's better to barhop in groups."

She looked at Rude, who just gave her a small smile back.

She had made it.

**Killing**

(Zack, PuppetKitty)

Series: Part of the PuppetKitty AU

Author's Notes: Here lies crack. And a demoned up Zack.

The cat watched as the not-human moved, almost blurring, even to his sight, as the not-human slaughtered the monsters that were attacking them.

He could help, but his companion was doing just fine.

There was a howl as the not-human changed, claws and blinding fast movement all spinning out around to kill the monster.

Washing his foot, he waited. Then the not-human changed back and trotted over.

"Sorry I was such an inconvince," he grinned, violet eyes dancing.

He just gave himself a shake and landed on the not-human's shoulder.

After all, the Shiny Calling One was still calling.

**Ice**

(Zack, PuppetKitty)

Series: Part of the PuppetKitty AU

Zack couldn't stop. As he watched the cat bolt at the bird, which was at least as big as the cat itself, he started to laugh. He wasn't sure if the bird was going to take off or if it was going to try to flatten the cat, but it was damn funny to watch.

Especially when the cat hit an icy patch and began to slide.

He was pretty sure the bird was laughing as well.

Chuckling, he moved after the cat, taking a moment to flashfry the bird.

Cat had to help out -somehow-, after all.

**Fire**

(Zack, PuppetKitty)

Series: Part of the PuppetKitty AU

Purring softly, he curled up in the not-human's lap. The man was well trained, claw-tips scratching at just the right spot to get the really itchy places. Content to stay right where he was, he stared into the fire absently, most of his attention focused on the attention of the scratching.

This was why it was nice to have someone around. Once he was out of the labs, he had realized how nice it was to be around people.

And the not-human was also following the Shiny Calling One's voice.

He decided that he would keep the not-human.

**Flight**

(Zack, PuppetKitty)

Series: Part of the PuppetKitty AU

Wings spread wide, Zack held the cat firmly tucked against his chest. The animal was firmly wrapped in a few extra clothes, as he had learned that lesson fast. Do not place a pissed off cat against one's chest without extra padding. Claws were sharp, especially ones Mako reinforced.

He wouldn't even be flying, but the mountains were treacherous anyway, and the gapes and cracks were near impossible to pass on foot.

Thus, wings.

Hopefully, when he made camp tonight, the cat wouldn't try clawing his eyes out. Zack was pretty sure that would hurt.

Really hurt.

**Bald**

(Zack, PuppetKitty)

Series: Part of the PuppetKitty AU

Settling against the not-human's head, he idly batted at a few of the black spikes. Why did so many things have dark fur? He had some, but most of him was a pale, lovely color. Most human things were mostly bald. That was a bit confusing as well. Was that why they wore so much? To cover up the fact they were bald?

He couldn't blame them. It wasn't their fault that they were bald. Instead, he tried to make them comfortable by grooming them.

Though the not-human didn't seem to appreciate his face being washed.

**Game**

(Cloud, Zack, Sephiroth)

With a final swing, Zack finally killed the monster.

"Oh, yeah!" he yelled. It had taken them almost three hours to kill the thing, and everyone was just happy it was finally done.

"All right," Cloud said, looking at his notes, "DM break. Everyone take ten and remember what feeling your legs is like."

As the various gamers stood up, Zack bounced a bit in place. "See, Seph," he said, grinning at the silver haired man. "Told you that Sword of Anchian would come in handy someday."

Sephiroth just rolled his eyes at his friend.

"You just like big swords."

**Great Race**

(Angeal, Zack, Cloud)

Adjusting the cloth that would keep the sand from his face, Angeal watched as the birds ran below.

The Great Race.

His student was one of the racers, and he was pleased at Zack's strategy. This was a race of speed and stamina. So letting the others ride ahead was sound, this early on. They would clear the path and most sabotage would be inside the knot of riders.

Seemed like Zack wasn't the only one with the idea, though.

Angeal watched as Sephiroth's student, the little blond child, rode easily near Zack.

This would prove interesting.

**Lessons**

(Zack, Cloud)

"Angeal hates me."

Cloud rolled his eyes at Zack's familiar complaint as the pair of them walked towards where their next lesson. "You know that Genesis is considered one of the great philosophers of our times, yes? Better than any other here."

"I know, but he keeps going on about "Goddess" this and "Goddess" that. Won't even tell us which of the Goddesses he's talking about."

That got a shrug. "At least this next lesson is with Sephiroth. He's fond of you."

Zack brightened, just like Cloud expected.

It was good to see his friend smile.

**Costumes**

(Aeris, Tifa, Zack, Cloud)

They were considered the best of the best. When they went to cons, they were always swarmed by people with cameras and were always being asked for photos.

Aeris would grin and agree. She loved being asked by little kids how she had made this item or that.

Tifa always enjoyed it as well. She knew all the stances by heart, and could spar pretty well, if she did say so herself.

The girls always teased Zack and Cloud about their gear. The huge swords were a pain to carry around.

But they were the best FFVII cos-play group around.

**Alchemy**

(Angeal, Genesis, Zack)

The explosion rocked their lab.

With startled sounds, Angeal and Genesis bolted down the stairs. It had been Angeal's apprentice who had doing some sort of experiment down there. Whatever it was, it had not sounded as if he had turned lead to gold or come up with some elixir.

Sound like he had gotten himself blown up.

Face covered with soot, Zack grinned at them.

"Not the Stone," he said cheerfully, "but it made a -big- boom."

Genesis looked at Angeal.

"Only your student," he said with a shake of his head, nose wrinkling at the sulfur smell.

**Nanos**

(Barret, Marlene)

Barret felt guilty. The plague was ripping through his world. He should be back there.

Instead, he was sneaking through Shin-Ra's blockade of his planet. They had sent the sickness down, nanos eating everything as they spread, killing almost everyone infected.

He had cut off his own arm to keep it from taking him fully.

The others, they were too sick to go. Dyne knew as much.

Which was why he made Barret promise to get Marlene out.

Leaving behind a dead wife and a dying world, Barret took what he could save.

One day, he'd get his revenge.

**Alliance**

(Cloud, Unknown)

He studied the man on the other side of his fire.

Alliances were common during the race, and just as often broken when things came down to it.

Cloud was doing far better than anyone could have expected, but he had learned from Sephiroth himself. The man, while over six foot tall now, had started off racing while still small, undersize and thin.

He had passed those tricks down.

In the Great Race, size was a useful skill. Even with the watchers, many birds and riders died. More riders than birds. After all, birds were valuable.

"Agreed," he said finally.

**Locals**

(Rufus)

Rufus studied the notes on the table. He and his Turks had been running premium liquor down from Midgar, but trying to expand their operations into Nibelheim was turning into a harder job than he had expected.

Seems that most of the locals had a favorite set of runners already, and preferred their homemade hooch to high quality drink.

Sometimes, really, people were -extremely- strange.

His main concern right now was the runners.

There were already two sets in town. Hollander's boys and Hojo's. Both were good.

Rufus smiled.

He'd just have to prove his were better.

**Auction**

(Gast, Ifalna)

Gast always hated the slave auctions. But Shinra had insisted he come down today and see what was up for sale. The man had gone through yet another string of body slaves, and he sent Gast, whose eye for hidden treasures was well known.

So far, there had not been much.

Then, Gast saw her.

She took his breath away.

The gleam in her eye said that, however she had come here, she had not been a slave long. She still had the look of a freewoman.

He bought her, then let her go.

She told him her name.

Ifalna.

**Stone Egg**

(Gaia, Vincent)

She watched them, pathetic little beings who scurried around and noticed nothing outside their shallow thoughts.

But she would change all that, soon.

One had her notice, and she watched him most of all.

He became the focus.

When Gaia destroyed the humans that were killing her, she focused all that into doing one thing.

The one she watched was the first to die.

She took him and he was reborn into a stone egg.

Millennia later, when humans who had survived the purge began to move, the egg hatched.

And crimson eyes saw the sky for the first time.

**Target Practice**

(Zack)

Turk Zack AU

He wasn't fond of guns, not like Aaron was of swords, but Zack could deal with them. Still, to join the Turks, he had to qualify at least.

It wasn't as easy as he would like. Especially with someone breathing down his neck.

Absently, Zack wondered if he could talk Veld into letting him use a sword. He knew he couldn't be the only one who did.

Focusing on the target, Zack centered himself. Nothing by him and that little ring existed.

Pulling the trigger until the clip was empty, Zack set the gun down.

Here's hoping.

**Influences**

(Zack, Aaron, Sephiroth)

Turk Zack AU

Once he had discovered Zack's existence, Sephiroth had taken the time to watch the brothers. After all, he did have to deal with Aaron everyday, so it would be best to see what his influences were.

The most important was Zack. They were brothers, twins. He was sure that nothing in life was more important than someone who was, essentially oneself.

Watching them spar, swords gleaming as they went through well oiled practice moves, Sephiroth had a strange urge to wonder what life would have been like with someone he could always trust.

He doubted he would ever know.

**Frogged**

(Aaron, Zack)

Turk Zack AU

Grinning like loons, the pair retreated down the hall, the box they had been carrying empty.

Once they were safely on the elevator, the brothers started to laugh.

"Think they'll believe us now?" Aaron asked, eyes bright as he slung an arm over Zack's shoulders.

"I think they're going to know exactly who did it. Though I bet all the Gongaga boys will have their capes ready after the first hints of the Mes get out."

"Which ones do you think will get found first? Labs or offices?"

"Labs. "

The pair shared a smile.

This was fun.

**Victory**

(Zack, Sephiroth)

Turk Zack AU

"You two are doing it again, aren't you?"

Sephiroth's dry voice made Zack look up and smile.

"Tseng asked us to. See how many of the possible new recruits noticed. Besides, I look hot in a SOLDIER uniform."

The older man was obviously resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Zack counted that as a victory. "Somehow, I suspect he was more willing to get out of his paperwork than anything."

Zack waved a bundle around. "I'm working on that, actually. His writing is horrific."

That won him a small smile.

Zack rang a mental victory bell.

**Grounded**

(Reno, Zack)

Turk Zack AU

Reno and Zack were standing before Veld, the man's words flowing over them.

Oh, he was mad.

Really mad, if the man's legendary cool had shattered like this.

Course, Zack wasn't sure if he really blamed the man. Though it wasn't like it was their fault the copter had crashed. Again.

Well, Reno had been flying.

Zack was just as happy that his flight status had been yanked. At least he wouldn't have to deal with re-training.

Which was what Reno was looking forward to.

Zack would have to remember to bring him a present.

**Brotherly Love**

(Aaron, Zack)

Turk Zack AU

Aaron's lips twitched.

Zack glared at him.

Then he began to snicker.

Zack threw something at his head.

That just prompted a slide to the floor, laughing as hard as he could.

Hair loose and spiking everywhere, Zack put his hands on his hips and waited. When Aaron's laugher finally descended from hysterical, he spoke.

"All the active female Turks are out. And I pulled the short straw."

That set Aaron off again.

Zack sighed.

An evil smile appeared on Zack's face as he brushed imaginary dust off his skirt.

"I'm going to go visit Aeris."

**Serious**

(Zack)

Turk Zack AU

This was the part he hated the most.

The ever present smile gone, Zack stood there and watched the man struggled to breath.

It would be easier on him if he just left, for more than one reason. He wouldn't have the look on the man's face as his body finally gave up permanently embedded in his mind. He wouldn't have the actual feel of the man slipping into the Lifestream always there in his memory.

But killing people, that was serious.

He treated it the way it deserved to be treated.

This was important to him.

**Ribbit**

(Zack, Cloud)

Turk Zack AU

"This," Zack declared, "is the best materia -ever-"

Cloud looked at his friend like he was nuts. The Turk ignored it. After all, almost everyone he knew looked at him like he was nuts. Part of being a Turk, just like Aaron had to deal with mutters of monster. Both knew the words weren't true, but it was something they dealt with.

"No, seriously. It's completely awesome. You can turn people into frogs. Frogs!"

Now Cloud was obviously looking around for someone to help him.

So Zack did what anyone would do to a friend.

He frogged him.

**Trading Up**

(Aeris, Zack)

Turk Zack AU

The first thing they did was buy better weapons.

Zack knew his had a tracking device in it. And he knew Aeris's probably wouldn't last past the first serious monster outside of Midgar.

And they were going to have a long way to go to get from Midgar to Nibelheim.

Zack wasn't sure where to go after Nibelheim, but that was where Aaron, Seph, and Cloud had been last. So that was where he was going to go now.

Aeris was going as well. Which was good. He needed the support.

But, first, they needed better weapons.

**Clothing**

(Aeris, Zack)

Turk Zack AU

It was odd, dressed in something other than his suit.

But Turks were always noticed.

Instead, he had Aeris cut his hair, and she had followed his example. She took the initiative to bind her chest.

With the clothing change, gone were the Turk and the flower girl. Instead, two boys were traveling alone, in theory rejected from Shin-Ra now that they weren't so desperate to replace the fallen in Wutai.

Zack wasn't sure how long Tseng could delay, but it wouldn't be forever.

So, wearing civvies clothes, Aeris and Zack traveled to save their loved ones.

Based off my fics Ravens and its prequel, Becoming Gods.

**Home**

(Zack, Cloud)

The first thing they had done, when Zack had asked in a quiet voice, was to go to Gongaga.

The town was gone.

The area was blasted clean, and Zack had made a sound in the back of his throat that made Cloud wince.

Whatever Sephiroth had done, he had done it well. Many were dead.

Including Zack's family.

The dark haired man sat, expression blank, and Cloud wondered if Sephiroth was messing with Zack's head again.

Then Zack began to talk. About his family, the people he had known. Touch Mes, the forest, everything.

Cloud just listened.

**Warning**

(Cloud)

It was the birds that gave them warning.

For some reason, chocobos feared the god. Feared his messengers. So when the birds began to panic, they knew why.

The rumors were true. Speak of Sephiroth, of the old one and his pair, and he would hear you.

It was the pale one, mis-matched eyes glowing as he moved towards the rebels. Already the blades he carried dripped blood.

Outside, the birds screamed, and there was a crash as a gate gave way.

Not that it mattered anymore to those inside.

They were meeting their death on the wings of memory.

**Report**

(Sephiroth/Cloud)

He found Cloud in the hot spring, soaking off another slaughter.

It was a pity, really. He always thought the blond looked good smeared in the blood of those who would try to kill them.

Slipping into the water, he looked at the man, waiting patiently.

"Dead."

A slender brow arched, and Sephiroth waited for more.

"The rebellion was localized in one area of the village. I destroyed them, and pinned the feather to the door. They were talking of burning the building when I left."

Sephiroth nodded. Then he reached and pulled Cloud close.

The boy smell of blood.

**Family**

(Zack, Sephiroth/Cloud)

Leaning in the door, Zack watched as Cloud moved under Seph and admired the view.

They were pretty together, and he enjoyed just watching them from time to time. It was good that the most important people in his life were happy together.

Not that it would be any other way. This was just the way things were, and they would always be that way.

Zack couldn't remember a time when it wasn't the three of them over the world.

Cloud and Seph were family, in all the ways that mattered.

So he watched them, enjoying the moment.

**Fine Tuned**

(Sephiroth)

If there was one thing that never changed about Zack, no matter how many times Sephiroth tweaked the man's mind, it was his love for pranks.

Sometimes, that got him into trouble. Sometimes, Sephiroth just laughed.

He worried, some days, just how much damaged he had caused in the early days, when he had twisted some memory or another of Zack's. Back when he was rough and unsure of what he was doing. Club versus the scalpel he used the rare times when he did need to do something.

Zack was well trained now.

Like a good boy.

**Laughter**

(Cloud)

It was just a memory of laughter.

Cloud still remembered how things had been before. The way Zack laughed then.

It sounded the same now, but it was a hollow noise, given how much the man had been twisted by Sephiroth. Every thing that Zack did focused on the silver haired man now. Cloud couldn't say anything, he was the same.

Still, he missed the way Zack used to laugh.

He wondered if Sephiroth even noticed the difference.

Cloud wished for a lot of things, but he never spoke them.

His strongest was for Zack to be Zack again.

**Harvest**

(Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud)

It was festival time again.

Sitting in his chair, overlooking the main festival grounds, Sephiroth watched as a parade wove through the streets. On either side of him were Zack and Cloud, who were watching. He petted them along the strings that bound them together, and watched them shiver.

"So," he said to Cloud, " what do you think of the harvest this year?"

The blond thought about it. "It should be good."

"Guys," came Zack's voice. "Enjoy the party. Honestly."

His tone was full of amusement, and Sephiroth just smiled back.

It was a good time to be alive.

**Flowers**

(Zack, Cloud, Sephiroth)

Flowers.

Pale, lovely flowers that grew in the oddest places.

Zack just watched them.

Something about them, the faint glow of light off white blossoms kept triggering something in the back of his mind. But no matter how much he dug, he couldn't place what it was.

He must have sat there hours, until Cloud came. The other had started to say something, then stopped, curious what had so drawn Zack's attention.

When Sephiroth came later, he was displeased.

Zack forgot the flowers, the memory of them torn away.

Still, somewhere, he remembered the scent and a smile.

**Chocolate**

(Sephiroth/Zack/Cloud)

Cloud made an amused sound when he looked at the gift the little girl chosen for this year's ceremony had given him. Zack had been given a vest of decorative knot-work, and Seph had gotten an engraved blade.

Chocolate was a rare gift, and he wasn't surprised that it had been given over at the Sunrise Ceremony. The presents were nothing but bribes, to keep Sephiroth from blacking out the sun.

Not that he could, but he could make it seem that way.

So the gifts people gave were some of the best.

Thus, they were gifted chocolate.

**Remembering**

(Cloud)

Snuggling further under the blanket, Cloud hummed.

There were problems with the world. Things were dying, and Sephiroth was making plans.

Cloud didn't care what happened next, as long as he had this.

The last scrap of his old life.

When Sephiroth had taken them all, Cloud had gone to Nibelheim, one last time.

He had found the blanket his mother had sewn for him on the bed.

He had taken it.

Most of it had been replaced now. Restitched, restuffed, patched all over.

But when he held it, Cloud could imagine his mother's voice.

He could remember before.


	7. Past Prompts 2

_**Past Prompts 2**_

**Photograph-1**

(Zack, mentions of Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth)

It was a picture of the three of them, all in dress uniforms, standing around talking to each other. Zack didn't know who had taken it, but it was a differnt view of his teacher than he had ever seen before.

Angeal was laughing at something, hard enough that he was folded over lightly, hand pressed against his stomach. Genesis was next to him, face red, and Zack wondered what the man had done.

Besides them both, a small smile on his face, was Sephiroth.

Quitely, Zack put the picture back where he found it, and wished Angeal was home.

**Photograph-2**

(Tseng, mentions of Zack)

Tseng looked at the pictures from long ago. Four years had passed since they had been taken.

They all looked so young.

Four years.

From the more recent images, it seemed time had not changed the boys that much. Only the innocence in the eyes that stared back at him from the image had been lost.

Fair was a danger, now. To Shin-Ra, and to himself.

They would never let him go.

Tseng had his orders.

He also had his honor.

There were letters to deliver.

Picking up his phone, he called his Turks.

He had a promise to keep.

**Home-1**

(Genesis, references to Angeal)

The air smelled of fresh fruit, the sharp scent of dumbapples that had fallen to the ground coloring the air.

This was his home.

Or so he had thought.

Genesis sneered at the surroundings. It was never his home. Instead, it was only another lab. Truly, it was more devious than any lab Sephiroth had known. There, it had been honest, exposed.

Here, the lab had hidden behind loving words and lies. It had made him think that he was cared for.

Only one person cared, and even Angeal was against him now.

There was no loss as it burned.

**Home-2**

(Nanaki, surprise)

His son had come home.

Even though he had been killed long ago, any who knew about Cosmo Canyon knew that the dead did not always rest easily. So many had encounters with those who were gone that another ghost did not stir any fear or worry. Instead, it was just one more shade who came to check on those left behind.

Fortunately, only the extremely strong willed could do it.

So when Nanaki returned and learned the truth, his father watched with pride.

His son had come home, and grown into his own.

What else could a father want?

**Formal Wear Required-1**

(Sephiroth, mentions of Genesis and Angeal)

Sephiroth hated wearing his dress uniform.

Superficially, it was the same as his normal outfit. The long coat, the boots, even the gloves. However, one addition had been made.

The shirt itched.

It's why he never wore it when possible. Something in the material always set him to itching. Going without wasn't just for distraction value.

Damn Genesis and the fact the man could wear the formal uniform fine, and did so every day.

Though he was sure he could deal with the itching just to see Angeal look so put out at having to wear the outfit as well.

**Formal Wear Required-2**

(Hojo)

Hojo did his best to avoid functions when he had to go without his lab coat. The plain white article did help him keep the world at a proper viewpoint, keeping the mess and distractions distant.

Occasionally, however, one was forced to deal with things without a comforting item at hand.

Such as, for instance, presenting Sephiroth to the public.

The PR agent had insisted, and normally Hojo would have ignored him, but the President was backing the man. And Hojo knew where his funds were coming from.

So he had don his tux and let the society fools stare.

**Vacation 1**

(Cloud)

Cloud enjoyed his job. It was more break than work, and he found the time away from everyone to be calming. It was the quite he craved.

For too long, he had heard things all the time. Either Sephiroth, or the voices when the mako in his veins seemed to call out and invite in ghosts. Sometimes even his own thoughts got too loud.

So these moments, when all he had to do was drive, let instinct and automatic reflexes kick in and just let the wind whip everything away with a dull roar.

Soothing.

His job was a vacation.

**Vacation 2**

(Vincent)

Turks were paid well.

Of course, they deserved that pay. Especially given some of the missions they had to deal with.

After he returned from this one, Vincent swore he was going to take a break.

If he didn't strangle Hojo first.

No, wrong tactic. Deep breath. Ignore the little worm.

His job was to guard them and make sure they weren't disturbed.

Killing Hojo would defeat that purpose.

He was going to take a nice, long break after this. Just him, some decent company, and a long nap.

Then maybe he could find some way of dealing with Hojo.

**Mako and Materia 1**

(Surprise)

It was her bane and her savior.

It threaded her body, causing her pain of an unbelievable degree, pure materia, something totally native to the planet, pressed into her very core.

Yet it preserved her. It gave her the power she needed to keep herself together, alive.

Though it, she had power.

Though it, she found freedom again.

It hurt her, but with it she was able to take one human, and make herself reborn.

If Jenova could laugh, she would.

Too long trapped in one form, she was infected by its humanity.

And she infected the world in revenge.

**Mako and Materia 2**

(Zack, Aeris, Cloud)

It made their eyes glow. It made them fast, strong.

It made them monsters.

Oh, no SOLDIER would agree with you, but it did. They lived for the fight, the change to feel the glow run through them.

Never believe their eyes, for they lie with them. Nothing -human- could have eyes like that.

That's what she always heard, and Aeris believed them.

Until she met Zack.

Even thing, somewhere, she wondered.

Until he didn't come home.

And then she met Cloud, and found Zack's eyes all over again.

Same glow, same love.

No monsters in those eyes, only humans.

**First Person Narration 1**

(Sephiroth)

I don't understand. Where's Professor Gast?

I don't like Hojo. He's mean and he smells funny.

Hojo doesn't listen, not like the other one did, and I want to know where he went. He was the one who would read to me and tell me about all the things that I was going to learn when I got bigger. Now I get told that I'm going to be a fighter.

What's that?

Hojo doesn't even call me by my name. It's not hard. Seph-i-roth. Not 'specimen' or anything else like that.

I want Professor Gast back again.

I miss him.

**First Person Narration 2**

(Nidara(oc), Sephiroth)

The screams won't stop, and I don't try to save anyone who's already screaming like that.

I grab the first person I see running around.

"Get people and grab buckets. We can still stop the fire!"

They gave me such a blank look, but I shook him, and he ran off, hopefully to do what I wanted.

What was going on?

Oh, gods, -Cloud-!

My baby is somewhere in this mess!

I see silver, and there is a moment of relief. The General will help organize things and we can get everything under control.

Just have to get his attention.

**Weapons 1**

(Reno)

The smell of ozone always made him grin, and Reno knew that his smile always made people nervous, especially when they were trapped in a small room with him.

The smell, yeah, it was good, and add that to the low thrum as his mag-rod charged, and it just made him one happy Turk. The feel of the power it held, so sleek and deceptive, at least until he hit someone with it, reminded him of himself. Nobody took him seriously. Which was a mistake, yo. One most didn't make twice.

He was a Turk, and they were -all- lethal.

**Weapons 2**

(Rufus)

A gun was a perfectly fine weapon. A last resort.

Rufus had other weapons.

Power was one, literally and figuratively. With a few calls, he could shut down the world. People would be left in the dark, in the cold, with no recourse but to come begging at his feet, desperate for him to give them what they wanted.

And he had other resources. His military. His Turks. All useful weapons in their own right. Rarely did they fail him, and when it happened, that was why he had a backup.

Only a fool would count on just one weapon.

**Trapped 1**

(Genesis)

Everything that was happening, it had been written out so long ago.

They each had their roles, and he grieved for the loss of his brothers even as they fell, and he was forced to find a substitute for them.

In one person, he found their stand in.

Oh, Zack was no Angeal, no Sephiroth, but he was their heir of sorts, and Genesis would accept that, for the story to progress, he would have to adapt.

Still, it did no good if the boy didn't follow the script until the last act.

Just had to keep him in line.

**Trapped 2**

(Sherra/Cid/Vincent)

He refused to leave.

And as long as he stayed, so would she.

It was her fault that he was here, after all, and Cid never let Sherra forget it once. Not that she would have let herself forget either. Even when he forgave her, after he had finally reached his goal, she never quite forgot the fact that she had kept him from seeing space for so long.

Still, the ring on her finger was a much nicer way of being bound to the man than through guilt.

Especially when it came with such an attractive bonus as Vincent.

**Choose Life 1**

(Dyne, mentions of Barret and Marlene)

It was such a simple choice.

Dyne made it for his friend, because Barret wouldn't do it. He would try to save Dyne, bring him back to Marlene.

And if he did, Dyne knew one day, he would lose it again, and his daughter....Barret's daughter would be on the one to pay the price. The madness was too deep, too subtle. Someday, he would forget again, and take the girl to meet her mother.

So he chose to save her life, and end his own misery.

It was the only thing he had left to give his baby girl.

**Choose Life 2**

(Elena, Tseng, Remnants)

She could let them win. She could give them what they wanted, and take the painless death they offered in exchange.

But she wouldn't.

She was a Turk. As such, she had a reputation. Including the fact that they never gave up.

Reno had escaped. And if he did, then backup would be coming.

Nearby, Tseng grunted, taking a particularly violent blow, and she took the moment to regain her own strength.

She'd be next again, but Elena had grown up in the last few years.

She was a Turk, and the three remnants would soon learn what that meant.

**Fire 1**

(Sephiroth)

Resistance was written into his genetics.

His mother, a being from space, had come from a species who were resistant to the burn of entering atmosphere. To them, fire, even magical fire, was nothing.

From her cells, he obtained it. He did not fear fire, and did not learn until later in life that he should.

But it never frightened him, never touched him. Barely even warmed him, honestly.

And so Sephiroth decided that he would reborn from him, as his mother was, as all Cetra were.

Fire's touch meant death for most.

For him, it meant a second chance.

**Fire 2**

(Cloud)

All of them sat around the fire, watching as it crackled into the night. Cloud wondered what the others were thinking, and wasn't sure if he wanted to know. His own thoughts were tangled, and he wasn't sure what he should do now. Somehow, they had started looking to him for leadership, and he didn't know what to tell them.

So, instead, he went to each of the others, just for a quite word or two, wanting to hear what they thought. Perhaps, if he heard their words, their ideas, it might make some of his take on some sense.

**Phone 1**

(Marlene, Reeve, Elmyra)

Looking at Mister Reeve, Marlene eyed him, still a little mad at him. But he said her daddy was on the phone, and she wanted to talk to him. So that meant going closer to Mister Reeve.

Aeris's mom made it better, though, taking the phone from the man, and then handing it over to Marlene.

"Go on, dear, let him know you are okay," Elmyra said.

Happily, Marlene did so. When she was done, she gave Elmyra the phone.

She wondered if Aeris wanted to talk to her mommy as much as Marlene had wanted to talk to Daddy.

**Phone 2**

(Zack, Angeal)

Angeal watched in amusement as Zack went on another round of messaging. If he didn't know better, he'd have wondered if the kid had joined the military just to take advantage of the phone plan. Whoever was sending the messages this time must have included something funny, because Zack started to grin like mad.

When he looked like that, Angeal wondered how far back the Wutian blood was in his student, and if Zack even knew. His eyes gave him away when he smiled.

He didn't worry about Zack's blood, however. His student was honorable, and would not betray them.

**Termination of Employment 1**

(Reeve)

While Reeve expected his job with Shin-Ra to end someday, and expected it to end messily when he had thrown his lot in with Cloud and the others, this was not how he had expected things to go.

Maybe, if he was lucky, he would have been let go with a few threats, but still alive.

Instead, he was taking over.

Oh, it helped that he -did- have Cloud and the others on his side, and that he had kept as many people safe during the incident with Meteor and Holy, but...honestly.

He expected to be fired, not promoted.

**Termination of Employment 2**

(Hojo)

Hojo chuckled.

Oh, none of the ones he worked with would believe he was doing this, but Shin-Ra no long served his purposes. What he needed, he could access, and what he didn't need was wasting his time.

The boy who now was in charge was useless, a worthless pup who was spoiled and focused on only the here and now. Hojo had greater plans than that.

So he turned in his resignation and decided to take a small vacation.

After all, he had given Shin-Ra over thirty years of his brilliant mind.

Maybe a beach vacation was called for.

**Remember 1**

(President Shinra)

It seemed like it had been such a long time since things had started.

How many years had it been now? Looking out the window from the top floor of the Shin-Ra building, he didn't remember for sure, but it was hard to believe that this had all started out as a weapons company.

Back then, it seemed as if through force of arms, he could take the world.

Then he realized what true power was.

With money, he could buy his own forces, arm them with his own weapons, and slowly spread.

Smiling faintly, President Shinra remembered the beginning.

**Remember 2**

(Lucrecia)

With a whimper, Lucrecia pressed a hand flat to her belly, feeling the life she carry shift, and more pain flared up in response. It wasn't labor, not yet, but she was starting to forget what it was like to not feel some low ache or pain. Standing on her feet was getting more and more frustrating each day, and as a scientist, she needed to be able to move.

But this...this was their project. After she had the child, she could go back to doing her own research.

Just had to remember that thought, and get through today.

**Taste 1**

(Zack)

Zack bit down, and with the crunch came a bittersweet taste. It reminded him of green apples that weren't quite ripe. Still, he swallowed the bite, and for a moment had a whimsical thought of poisoned apples. After all, it seemed that everything had started to go really, really wrong here. Would he fall asleep, and lay there for Shin-Ra to find? There were no happy endings to that fairy tale.

When Genesis spoke, Zack answered, the taste of dumbapple still on his lips, and forgotten fast enough as he left with Cloud, new determination to get home.

To Aeris.

**Taste 2**

(Cloud)

Cloud fought the urge to sneeze, and rubbed his tongue against the top of his mouth, like a cat trying to scrape something off its tongue. All he got was more metallic bitter on his tongue. The taste coated his mouth, and he wanted something to wipe it from his memory.

Maybe it could take some of the memories away, as well.

It was humiliating, realizing what a failure he was when it came to protecting the people he cared for, and now he'd have to go explain to others who trusted him what a liar he was.

Bitter indeed.

**Blackmail 1**

(Hojo, Shinra, mentions of Gast and Valentine)

The only reason Shinra had hired him was emotional blackmail.

Oh, Hojo could pretend otherwise, but everyone who was important in the company knew that it was due to the professor's older brother that the creepy man had a job. If said brother hadn't saved Shinra's life when they were both growing up in Nibelheim, then the man wouldn't have even bothered to add to his already excellent science department, with Gast and Valentine there.

It wasn't until later, after Sephiroth, the creeping signs of age, and whispers of a Promise Land that Hojo gain his own blackmail over Shinra.

**Blackmail 2**

(Angeal, Zack)

"Pleeeeease? Please, please, please can we?"

Angeal turned an amused look at his student. "You really want to?" he asked, surprised, but Zack was a restless man, and was always looking for something to do. It's part of why he reminded Angeal of his favorite dog.

The kid nodded, and Angeal hummed. "Well, I'm not sure...."

His tone told the boy something was up, and Zack practically bounced. Who knew there was a prankster under that innocent face?

Later, when Zack handed him Genesis's copy of Loveless, Angeal grin. Oh, he was going to have fun blackmail Gen with this.

**Dialogue Only 1**

(Zack, Hayes(oc))

"They got -you- leading that group of greenie psychos? Isn't that the blind leading the blind?"

"Hayes, I will kick your ass, watch and see if I don't."

"You and what army, Fair?"

"My awesome can take you on anytime."

"Excuse me while I laugh. Your awesome can't even keep the General from stealing your food."

"Gods damnit! Every time I turn my back. Hold on, I got extra this time. Give me a second."

"Wow, the General really has you trained, doesn't he?"

"Bite me, Hayes."

"Stop pouting, Zack. You have little enough dignity as it is."

"Fuck you."

**Dialogue Only 2**

(Amara, Perusha(ocs))

"Yeah Rusha, it's been fun. Godo doesn't seem to understand what Yuffie wants when she starts babbling at him. I don't have the heart to tell him she's just making noises at him."

"She's your daughter, Ama. You were the evil one."

"I don't recall being the one who...."

"Not me."

"I think you should tell me if my nephew has done anything lately?"

"Oh, trust me. Brat let a box of Touch Mes go during a school conference. I'm about ready to send him your way."

"Go right ahead. We'll teach Zack how to be a real ninja here."

**Illness 1**

(Ifalna)

In the end, after everything she had gone through, it was illness that had forced her to act.

She was dying, and she refused to leave her daughter here to be tortured by that sadistic bastard Hojo. He was the one responsible for her own impending death, and he would not have the chance with her daughter.

With Aeris in hand, Ifalna fought past fever and shivers to get them out. Her body was shutting down, but she was not going to lay down and take it.

She had done that too long.

From sickness, came strength.

And came freedom.

**Illness 2**

(Sephiroth)

Having his people get hurt always made Sephiroth frown. They were -his- people, and he didn't like the fact that something given to him was damaged.

Worse was when damage led to sickness.

Even when he was near death, Sephiroth had never been ill, though he had seen infection set in on others. It was disgusting, and he could smell it on them as things went from bad to worse.

Especially in a place like Wutai.

He lost too many men to something that should have been prevented.

Returning to Midgar, he set down the rule.

Sickness was treated. Immediately.

**Alcohol 1**

(Jessie)

Jessie was a troublesome mix. She was bright, bored easily, and easily distracted by flashy things. In another life, she might have been a Turk, if not for a few facts like she hated Shin-Ra.

Her mother had always aid that if they hadn't lived underplate, maybe Jessie could have gone to a school that encouraged her skills, and she could have a life.

That would have been nice, but then Jessie found love.

It was a brawl, and someone used a bottle of alcohol, cloth and made a bomb.

She was intrigued.

Later, it would lead her to AVALANCHE.

**Alcohol 2**

(Biggs, Wedge)

Time for celebrations.

They had done it. They had gotten in, blown up the reactor, and stuck one in the eye of Shin-Ra.

They couldn't be any happier.

But it was Biggs and Wedge that were the most pleased, and they continued to toast each other endlessly as they went over the various aspects of the mission, seeing where they could change things next time.

Drinks in hand, the plans got sillier and sillier until they finally fell asleep.

The next morning, the pair had a matched set of aching heads, but still smiled.

They'd done something good for everyone.

**Internet 1**

(Zack)

Zack stared. Hard.

Fans were -weird-.

While going through his messages from the group, he had gotten several links, and decided to go check them out. Hey, he was bored. That was his only defense, honestly.

But even he hadn't realized that the people he had ended up tangled with were this strange.

They wrote stories. And drew pictures. Of Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis.

Some of them were actually pretty good.

Others....

He wasn't sure if he'd -ever- be able to look Sephiroth in the face again without turning red.

Especially after the one with Zack in it as well.

**Internet 2**

(Lazard, Kunsel)

"You have one new message."

Absently, Lazard opened the email that had come up, and looked it over slowly.

Sir.

Zack Fair, SOLDIER Second Class, lab results.

He scrolled through those, able to pull them up when he needed anyway. Still, it was good of the man to add it.

Connections.

This was the part that the Director of SOLDIER was interested in. How people interacted was what let him do his job properly.

As he looked over the list, the blond had to smile slightly.

Kunsel was an excellent resource. He was glad to have the man on his side.

**Superstition 1**

(Gillian, Genesis, Angeal)

Watching the children play, Gillian wondered how long this would last. Already Genesis was showing signs of decay, small ones. Her own Angeal was free of it.

She touched wood absently.

"Look!"

Gillian glanced up at Angeal's voice, and the boy was pointing at a large white butterfly that fluttered by. "First one of the year. That means good luck!"

"That's stupid," Genesis said with a scowl.

"Is not. My dad told me that!" Which started a debate on what was stupid or not.

All Gillian did was hope that the good luck would come turned out to be true.

**Superstition 2**

(Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal)

Sephiroth did not understand why Angeal was holding a coin out to him. Still, he took it.

"You're dealing with Angeal's superstitions," Genesis said, not looking up from his book. "His father was full of them, so he's always doing silly things to try to keep bad luck away."

"Well, I deal with you, Genesis. Obviously the bad luck is still there," Angeal said dryly. He looked to Sephiroth. "A knife given will cut a friendship. So you always give a coin so that the friendship will remain strong."

Hojo hated such things.

So Sephiroth smiled and kept the coin.

**Naked 1**

(Genesis)

Genesis wasn't sure how he felt about this. He had tried to get Angeal to join him, but the other man seem to have taken the revelation of their history rather badly. And then he had...left.

Angeal had been one of those facts of life that had been a rock. Something one could count on to always be there, no matter what.

Without the presence of his friend at his side, Genesis felt almost naked.

Still, he had his plans. He would find out how to save them both, and then he'd have his oldest friend back once more.

**Naked 2**

(Sephiroth, Cloud)

Silently, he watched as the power of the Black Materia curled outwards, seeping in pale skin as Sephiroth called the power of the item into himself. The puppet watched, unable to take his eyes away as slowly, oh so slowly, Sephiroth began to change. First came flesh and bone, a regrowth of what had been before the lifestream had taken the man. For a moment, the puppet watched as his master was remade human for one moment.

Then the legs split, and feathers grew, and green cat eyes opened to his puppet's.

From human, Sephiroth began to change to god.

**Mercy 1**

(Surprise)

She does not have mercy. She does not have hate. She is.

She does not fear. She does not want. She is content.

She does not hunger. She does not sleep. She goes on.

She is not even a she, only something so immense that people give her something to make them feel loved.

She does not love. She has no intentions at all.

Eventually, she will end, and with that end, she will still be. Silent, alone, until the next great race comes to her with dreams of life and green.

She is.

And she will continue to be.

**Mercy 2**

(Loz, Yazoo, Kadaj, Cloud)

They don't deserve mercy. None of them. Each of them betrayed Mother in their own way.

Loz was more interested in playing than following her word. He did not care about Mother, and so when he failed, she ignored his pleas.

Yazoo did not care. He followed because he had nothing else to hold his interest. Mother wanted true followers, not apathy.

Kadaj was so close, yet even he failed Mother, giving in to petty desires, becoming the shell in an attempt to kill Brother.

Brother was the heart of true Reunion, and without him there would be no resurrection.

**Tongue-Tied 1**

(Lucrecia)

She watched them from where she rested, a spirit lost in nothing. A just punishment. She had betrayed her son, and so now she was forced to watch in silence as those who would kill him collected their things and went.

She knew that Sephiroth was alive, and that the ones Valentine had joined planned on killing him.

Perhaps it was for the best.

She had never done anything for her child other than offer him up to Hojo.

Silent, wanting to speak, but unable, she watched them leave her to her tomb.

They say what goes around, comes around.

**Tongue-Tied 2**

(Rufus, Kadaj)

Furious.

If anything could describe Rufus Shinra's feelings at the moment, it was pure, unadulterated fury. So much so he couldn't even form words.

How -dare- this little upstart of a clone feel free to damage his Turks.

Rufus already knew they lived still. If nothing else, Valentine was good about making sure that his successors survived things they really shouldn't.

But Kadaj had cross the line.

Any urge that he might have had to use the man to his advantage vanished.

Adjusting his plans, Rufus began to work out details on how to have Strife deal with them. Permanently.

**Haunted 1**

(Cloud)

Everyone knew the old Shinra place was haunted. None of the kids went near it, not even the older kids who said that all the others were babies for being scared.

Which made it the perfect place to hide around.

Not even to get away from everyone would Cloud go into that building.

There were all sorts of eerie sounds and green lights that popped up there, and he was afraid of what might be living there.

He had nightmares, occasionally, about big green monsters that swallowed people up and kept them trapped forever in their bellies.

Truth in nightmares.

**Haunted 2**

(Zack)

In Gongaga, everyone heard the voices.

It had gotten quieter after Shin-Ra had built the reactor, but the old stories were told, and the old ones still took the kids to the side and taught them how to hear, how to listen. So that they would also hear the voices coming from the earth.

The newcomers to the town, the ones who came from outside Gongaga, though that the town was full of ghosts. But it wasn't.

Zack didn't realize his own town's secret until too late.

He wondered if Aeris had known she wasn't the last one after all.

**Winter 1**

(Aeris)

Snow was....different.

Aeris had never seen it before she had come this far north. Midgar didn't get it. Instead, the winter brought cold winds, contaminated rain by the bucketful, and misery. People died in the winter cold. The flowers, even hers, refused to bloom, instead looking dull and brown and near dead. In fact, as far as Aeris knew, the only good thing about winter was when it ended, and spring came back.

But as she watched the snow fall down, silent, soft, she had to reconsider.

Maybe, just maybe, there was something to those folks who liked winter.

**Winter 2**

(Yuffie)

Yuffie sighed as she watched the clouds building up in the sky.

Winter time was here, and each year it seemed worse. Even the stories the oldest people talked about how this was the worst streak in their memories.

She wondered if it was something the Planet was doing in revenge. As if Geostigma wasn't enough, and all those people who had died weren't enough.

Maybe, someday, they would stop paying for Sephiroth's mistake. Or Hojo's, or whoever had created this cycle that was currently destroying everything.

Or maybe she'd have to go kick some ass and get things fixed.

**Uninvited 1**

(Cloud, Sephiroth)

It was sudden, the the curl of possessive feelings through his mind. Arm suddenly throbbing, Cloud hissed mentally, pain spiking as he -felt- Sephiroth ghost over the threads that still lingered, even two years later. Stumbling, his vision shifting to that oddly colored view that only happened with the green eyes that Sephiroth caused, Cloud growled, pressing back violently.

Not now. He didn't have time for it to happen right now.

Shoving back, he could heard the small laugh that echoed through his ears for no reason whatsoever.

The rumors he had heard suddenly took on a whole new importance.

**Uninvited 2**

(Reno, Rude, Avalanche)

They were such pests.

Reno sighed, then decided that, fuck that shit, he was on vacation. Ignoring the motley crew that bothered the boss so much, he focused on his drink. Rude seemed to be following his example, which was good. If Elena caused a fuss, they had a two to one advantage over her, on top of the fact she was the rookie.

Still, they had come to Wutai for vacation because it seemed like the last place Avalanche would show up.

Trust them to make an appearance and nearly mess up a well earned, and long overdue, vacation.

**Late 1**

(Aeris, Cloud)

They were running late. Aeris had expected them to be here by now. Ever since she had said goodbye to Cloud, there had been a weight on her, a feeling of expectation.

Honestly, she expected them to beat her here. Then they could have watched things while she called Holy, and they could have figured out what to do next about Sephiroth.

Honestly, it seemed like forever before she heard the sound of footsteps. She didn't look up, all her focus on calling up the power her mother had left her. But, finally, she looked up.

She smiled at Cloud.

**Late 2**

(Reeve, Cait Sith)

"Wake up! Wake up! You need to wake up! Up! Up! Up!"

Each repeat of the word 'up' was accompanied by a solid thump on his back, and Reeve scowled into his pillow, arm swatting at the thing jumping on his back. It was frustrating to try sleeping.

"You have a meeting with Rufus in an hour. Up!"

Why had he programmed Cait with an alarm clock again?

Then he registered what the robot had said.

And hour.

He was running late.

Though there was guilty pleasure when he tossed himself out of bed and heard it yelp in midair.

**Wish 1**

(dead people)

A thousand wishes.

A thousand, thousand wishes.

More wishes than anything float, tiny whisps as threads of green begin to weave together.

Souls, those almost gone, those fresh. Stubborn and all of them wish the same thing.

The last of the Cetra spread her message well, and a thousand souls, whole and not, come together for one great effort.

All of them have loved ones left behind, and they fall into place, following the one who speaks to the planet, and the SOLDIER who follows her faithfully. They follow the pair, who race on to meet death from the skies.

**Wish 2**

(Nanaki and grandcubs)

The cubs were playing wishing games on falling stars again.

For them, the streaks of white across the sky were innocent.

They were not there when Meteor came so close to destroying it all.

They were not even close to a thought when another of Jenova's kind came.

It had taken those who were left, he, Cloud, and Vincent, to stand against the new threat.

They had stood their ground. Vincent fell as Chaos had destroyed most of them.

And Cloud slept, the core bound in him, his body hidden in the Canyon.

There would be no repeat of Jenova.

**Fireworks 1**

(Sephiroth)

Of all ways he could have seen going, the one Sephiroth hadn't come even close to imagining was being trampled by a scared chocobo.

Though he hadn't expected the Wutanese shooting fireworks, of all things, into camp. The sudden burst of noise and lights had startled the chocobos, even the ones used to the war so far, into running. And very little stopped a chocobo once it got it's feet under it.

Not to mention the fireworks were setting things on fire, and Sephiroth would have growled, but he was busy dodging another bird, and cursed.

He hated this season.

**Fireworks 2**

(Yuffie, Cloud)

Yuffie was smug as she sealed the item.

It wasn't every day that she managed to have Cloud watching what she was doing like a kid. Usually Mr. Too Serious would never let himself get drawn in like that. But she had finally figured out something to distract him.

Seems Cloud had never seen a firework up close. Nibelheim didn't have them, Shin-Ra rarely. So the first time he had seen one was at the Gold Saucer.

So when Yuffie said she knew how to make them, he looked fascinated.

Smiling, she handed it to him, and watched him smile.

**Weird Day 1**

(Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis)

There was silence as the three friends looked at the room.

Sephiroth looked contemplative. "Zack's been busy...."

Angeal shook his head. "Kid's in Mideel with a group. Leadership training."

"Then Reno...."

This time it was Genesis. "No. President's in Junon, all the Turks are with him."

All three of them looked in the room again.

"You two didn't...?"

Angeal snorted. "Give us credit for more imagination than that."

"Right. I'm going back to my rooms. I'm not working today."

He turned and walked off, and Genesis look contemplative.

"You don't think he did it himself, do you?"

Angeal only shrugged.

**Weird Day 2**

(Materia Lab Tech)

Some day, Shin-Ra was going to shut his beloved materia lab down, and he knows that day isn't far off at this rate. Still, he had hopes for things working out, and he encouraged every SOLDIER and trooper that came near to bring anything interesting they found in hopes that it might prove to make a new and interesting materia.

Most days, nothing really happened.

Occasionally, though, things went a bit...odd.

How he was going to explain an attempted fusion that ended up with ten foot tall charm based female monsters swarming his lab, he -really- had no clue.

**Perks 1**

(Barret)

A lot of people wouldn't understand.

But for Barret, this was for more than just random destruction. It was more than bringing Shin-Ra down after what they had done to his home, to his family and friends. It wasn't even about revenge.

It was for his daughter.

Someday, she was going to grow up, and have a family of her own. And he wanted a world for her where she didn't have to worry about her babies getting sick, or worse.

While the job was thankless now, watching his baby grow up happy was all the perks he really needed.

**Perks 2**

(Reeve)

When he was younger, Reeve had always wanted to be a great explorer.

Unfortunately, a kid in Midgar rarely does anything like that. Instead, like most the people he knew, he joined Shin-Ra, rose in the ranks, and ended up in charge of a department.

Then he discovered the best perk about it.

He got paid to go poke around in odd corners of Midgar, finding things nobody else had seen in years, if ever.

After he built Cait Sith, it only got better. The robot could go where he couldn't, and he could watch it all.

Best job ever.

**2 A.M 1**

(Aeris, Zack, Cloud)

Zack sighed as he watched Cloud twitch slightly in response to unknown dreams. Next to him, Aeris frowned.

"I know it shouldn't be a surprise, but, damnit," the man said, eyes drifting to Cloud's arm, where the marks of Geostigma were finally starting to form.

If Cloud could have heard them, Aeris would have swatted Zack for disturbing him. Instead, she brushed her fingertips over Cloud's hair, barely making it move.

"We'll fix it. We have to."

It wasn't just Cloud who was sick, after all. She just had to convince the Planet that it was safe to cure them.

**2 A.M 2**

Lucrecia, Hojo)

"You should be in bed,"

Lucrecia glanced over to the doorway, then back to her computer. Hojo moved closer, glasses reflecting the light of her monitor. "I have a few notes to finish. Then I'll be up."

"It's not healthy for the child."

Neither was injecting him with unknown cells, but some sacrifices had to be made for science. "You are a scientist. You, of all people, should know the importance of good note taking."

The slight smile told her she had won this round. Which meant not much sleep tonight.

Hojo was always intense after he had lost conversations.

**Children 1**

(Cloud, Vincent, Nanaki, ocs)

It was odd.

Beside him were old friends. Vincent and Nanaki both glanced back at Cloud, then at the others who had decided to follow them against a newly resurrected Jenova.

Gods forbid if they let anything happen to Marlene, or Denzel. At least they had lived through the original Sephiroth battle. Tifa and Johnny hadn't even been together, let alone their daughter being alive. Cid and Sherra had known one another, but their son was even younger than the girl. Having Rufus's daughter and Tseng and Elena's son didn't help.

If he could have sent him home, he would.

**Children 2**

(Tifa, mentions of others)

It should have been them.

Her husband's hand tight on her own, Tifa watched, heart in mouth, as Cloud and Sephiroth battled again. This time, the madman wasn't alone, monsters of all sorts boiling forth on his side.

And her daughter was caught in the middle.

Tifa had taught Angela everything she had known, but still...her heart froze to see her daughter in danger.

It wasn't any easier on the others, she knew it. Barret, Cid, Sherra, even Rufus and his Turks.

The world was supposed to be safe for their children. They had fought hard enough for it.

**Aeris 1**

(Gast, Aeris)

She was so tiny as he held her, a light little weight that looked up at him with her mother's eyes and gurgled happily. At least he assumed she was happy, not just laughing at him.

Gast had never felt more clumsy in his life.

Or more proud of something he had help make. His daughter was precious, and he was already mentally shifting plans around. He had to go adjust the cameras, because every moment counted.

Her mother was definitely laughing at him, but Gast would get revenge on her later.

Right now was about holding his baby close.

**Aeris 2**

(Gast, Aeris, Ifalna)

She was light, and he wished that she would eat more.

Mourning, Gast watched as Ifalna stepped away and let him move forward to hug their daughter.

She shouldn't be here. Not yet.

He had wanted his baby to grow up and have kids of her own. He had been hoping that since the day she was born, and despaired it ever happening as he had watched Hojo's plans.

He had held his wife tight and wished that she hadn't joined him so soon.

Now he did the same for his daughter, his mind full of "might have been"s.

**Unromantic 1**

(Tifa, OC)

The first time she ever got turned down for a date, Tifa had been in shock.

She was the mayor's daughter, more than a little pretty, and had had her own group of followers that seemed to find her good company.

So when the boy she had been crushing on for weeks said no, she asked why.

"You could beat me up," he said. "Who wants a girl that's better at fighting than they are?"

For a while, she wondered if being able to fight was that un-girl like?

Then she resolved to go after a better class of guy.

**Unromantic 2**

(Elena, Rufus)

Elena stared at her boss.

"You want me to -what-?"

Rufus frowned. "I find myself having difficulties selecting a possible mother for my heir. I need you to help weed them out."

"Why me?"

"You're female. It should be easy for you."

The urge to smack the man upside the head was strong, but Elena managed to fight it down. No, he was still recovering from Geostigma. Bad Turk.

"Do you have any idea what you want?"

That got a small nod. "Someone who can breed a suitable child."

"Sir, we are going to have to work on your expectations."


	8. Zack Fair, Worst Case Scenerios

_**Zack Fair**_

**Unscrupulous**

(Genesis, mentions of Zack and Angeal)

Where everyone else saw the puppy, Angeal's little boucey recruit who never seemed to stop smiling, or even stop vibrating in one spot to be anything but what he looked like, Genesis didn't.

Genesis was a manipulator. And he knew one when he saw them. And Zack Fair was one of the best he'd seen.

Those eyes took in -everything-, even when it didn't seem like he was paying a bit of attention, and the boy worked at using to set things in motion the way he wanted.

Genesis wonder if Angeal knew.

Probably not. Angeal, after all, had honor.

**Bohemian**

(Zack)

"What are you, some sort of Bohemian?"

Zack blinked. He was being asked if he was one of the roaming people? Then again...he was out of his SOLIDER uniform, and spending the last month in rough terrain had given him a rather...ragged appearance.

"Er, not really. Just traveling. And you know how it goes. Monster attack scares off your bird, and you end up walking the long way."

The storekeeper eyed him suspiciously, but finally nodded.

He knew that the man would call his next door neighbor in to talk. Leaving a trail. Damn.

He hated small towns.

_**Worst Case Scenario**_

**Betrayal**

(Avalanche, Sephiroth)

The dull glow of Meteor in the sky was bad.

The fact that Shin-Ra had everyone hunting for them didn't help.

But that wasn't the worst of the situation.

They had finally fought their way to the Crater, made it to the bottom.

And there was Sephiroth, no longer human.

Before him, waiting for them, was Cloud.

He watched them, green eyes cold as he balanced the Buster sword in hand.

When he moved to fight them, enhanced more than before by Sephiorth's presence, Tifa knew that this was a fight they weren't going to win.


	9. Past Prompts 3

_**Past Prompts 3**_

**Anthropomorphism #1**

(Masamune)

I was made to protect. To seal and bind a being that would destroy all.

The old ones made me, made me strong and willing. With magic, blood and need, they made me.

When we were found, I was taken from my purpose, letting it loose again. In my heart, I keened.

Then he took me.

I still wish for my purpose, the reason I was made. It is a part of me, core deep.

But in his hands, I felt peace.

In him, part of my creators lived.

For him, I would slay all I was made to save.

**Anthropomorphism #2**

(Surprise)

Many of us have come and gone. Some colors more than others.

Not us. We are the best. Only those who truly deserve us can wear these colors, and the world knows it.

So many try, but only a few succeed. And when they do, we are the ones given to them.

Our enemies fear us. While those of paler colors worry them, only us, with our black, cause them true fear.

We are the best.

SOLDIER 1st Class. The name is feared for a reason, and wearing us, the black uniforms of that level, we are even more frightening.

**Most Hated Character 1**

(Ifalna)

She hates him. Hates him with a passion she had reserved for very few beings. Because of him and his -theories-, the seal was broken. Masamune was pulled free, and the bindings that had kept Jenova contained for so long were no more.

It had hurt when the humans had freed the ancient Calamity. Those seals had been part of her, and Ifalna had not taken the snapping of them well.

It was why they had taken her so easy.

Gast's theories were what had started the cycle anew.

For that, Ifalna will see him dead some day soon.

**Most Hated Character 2**

(Streetkid)

Little Miss Perfect.

Everyone loved her. All the boys lit up when she came through, all the girls flocked to her side.

At least, that was how it seemed.

To at least one small girl, she frowned at the flower lady. What made her so special? Why did everyone love -her-? When she was around, nobody paid attention to people like her, and when you begged for food....

It didn't matter. She didn't need them, and she didn't need the flower lady.

Though she wished the flower lady would just go away and not ever come back.

**Missing Scene 1**

(Cid)

Cid sighed as he looked at the Bronco. Those idiots had done a real number to her, and he was going to be up a while trying to fix all the damage that had happened.

Honestly, he was surprised they hadn't all drowned on the way here. Though why they were -here- of all places made him wonder about the sanity of the people he had ended up with.

Somehow, he was sure this was Sherra's fault.

At least that Vincent guy had a decent sense of humor, and he wasn't some kid like the others were.

**Missing Scene 2**

(Angeal, Sephiroth, Genesis)

If this was who they were supposed to be like, Angeal was not impressed.

The other teen was younger than them, all stiffly formal and looking at them with a cold expression.

Beside him, the man felt Genesis straighten, hackles raising as he realized that they were being looked -down- on.

Genesis never did like that.

Angeal was going to end up riding herd on them both, he just knew it. President Shinra had made it clear he wanted them to work together.

Stepping forward, he offered his hand to Sephiroth.

"My name's Angeal Hewley. Good to meet you."

**Crossover 1**

(Cloud, Iroh)

It was still a bit confusing to Cloud to realize that he had fallen into what could only be called a friendship with the strange man he had found.

Iroh was older than most people Cloud knew, but there was a calmness around him. And a mystery.

A guy who didn't need materia to cast certain things.

When the dragon had shown up, Cloud hadn't had a chance to warn Iroh before the man did some sort of kata and called up fire.

Though once Cloud had told him that fire -healed-, Iroh smiled.

Then called down lightening.

**Crossover 2**

(Zack, Aeris, Wolfwood, Spike, Lilith)

One day, while in the middle of a hand, Zack paused, eyes going a bit hazy. All around him, the others paused, and Spike and Lilith exchanged glances. Wolfwood looked around, and so was the first to spot the lovely young lady who was walking towards them.

He was about to open his mouth, when Zack stood, arms curling around the woman as she leaped to him and hugged him tight.

"You shouldn't be here yet." His voice was sad.

"But I am," she told him, and then looked at the others.

"I'm Aeris. Mind dealing me in?"

**Cid Highwind 1**

(Cid)

The competition is shit.

Looking at the people around him, Cid can only decide they are complete morons. Who in their right mind would let those people near anything mechanical, let along something as important as a airship?

Not him, that was one thing he knew already.

Just like he knew Shin-Ra was going to hire him to be part of their program.

He was going to go to space. Fuck anyone who thought different.

Just had to sit to through some dumbass interviews and show the higher ups at the company that he knew his business like nobody else.

**Cid Highwind 2**

(Cid, Vincent, Sherra)

I swear, if I surround myself with any more people like this, I'm going to have to do something drastic.

If Vincent keeps slinking around Sherra, and she keeps making excuses to not come home....

Should lock them inna closet.

So what if they'd skin me alive afterwards. Maybe it would work.

Fine mess a man is in when he can't even get the two people he's sleeping with to talk to each other.

Even if it's just to bitch at each other, not that either would. Though if they did....

Maybe quiet is good.

**Suit**

(Zack, Aaron)

_Turk Zack AU_

"You look like a dork."

Snorting, Zack took a swipe at his technically older brother, who just leaned out of the way of the expected strike. "Well, you do."

Tugging his jacket down some, Zack looked at himself in the mirror once more. Dark blue suit, tie, white shirt.

Absently, he wondered how long before he got into a comfortable mix of normal and Reno levels of style.

"Bet more people are scared of me than you. Dork."

"Brat."

"Idiot."

"If that was true, I wouldn't have passed my tests."

Zack just looked at Aaron, and both twins grinned.

**Sunglasses**

(Zack, Aeris)

_Turk Zack AU_

The light hurt his eyes today.

Zack wasn't sure why, the light just -burned-. It wasn't his pain, though.

When he found out what they were doing to Aaron, he was going to return the favor. Several fold.

Aeris just handed him a washcloth, and he rested the cool material against his eyes.

"We're going to find them. All of them," she said simply.

Not that they had any word on Cloud or Sephiroth. But Zack refused to believe anything besides the fact they were alive as well.

Digging out his sunglasses, Zack nodded.

"Let's go."

**Gun**

(Aaron)

_Turk Zack AU_

It was the echo of a gun that woke him, and Aaron looked through a haze of green. What...?

Nibelheim. Burning. Labs. -Hojo-.

It all came rushing back, and he just barely resisted the urge to shake his head.

How long....?

Long enough. Zack was here. Like an -idiot-.

He should've run. Not dragged himself and Aeris here.

Another sharp sound, and he wondered if it was Zack shooting, or the guards here firing on his brother.

Not this time.

Focusing, Aaron hit the glass holding him in.

It shattered.

Whatever they had done, it worked.

Now, for the others.

**Materia**

(Aeris, Sephiroth)

_Turk Zack AU_

She pulled the materia out even before the tank shattered, and Sephiroth came out.

Only his eyes were empty green, and Zack wasn't getting up from where the silver haired man had thrown him.

In her mind, the voices screamed of the Calamity.

And one lost little voice whispered "Mother."

"That, Mister Sephiroth, was -not- how you treat a boyfriend who came all this way to get you out."

Those cold cat eyes looked at her, and there was a spark of recognition, of anger.

She cast Holy.

He fell, and she ran to Zack.

Cure now, yell later.

**Silver**

(Aeris, Sephiroth, Aaron, Zack, Cloud)

_Turk Zack AU_

Cloud's eyes were still blue under the green of mako, and his hair still spiky.

It wasn't as gold as it had been once.

Aaron was leaning on Aeris, and Zack was wheezing a bit too much for his comfort, even as Zack carried Seph with them. Seph was heavy, in a way that only modification to bone and muscle could explain.

When Aaron freed Cloud, who had a silver overcast to his hair now, he could feel the same changes, the heaviness that came with true change.

Well, not like any of them were fully human, anyway.

**Gil**

(Aeris, others mentioned)

_Turk Zack AU_

They needed funds.

Zack still sat odd after the wall, something in his back hurt more than Aeris felt comfortable healing on her own without a potion or dozen. Aaron was acting fairly normal, but he tired so easily.

Neither Cloud nor Sephiroth had woken up yet, and they were being hunted.

Both of the active boys were too easy to recognize, which left only her.

Watching as Aaron rested against a tree, Zack wheezing as he used his brother for a pillow for a quick nap, Aeris sighed.

They needed gil.

Too bad flowers weren't so rare here.

**Yellow**

(Zack)

_Turk Zack AU_

Aaron was mad.

The pursuit wasn't letting up, and Zack feared he knew why they still had troopers hunting them.

Hojo.

He had Aaron's blood and flesh. Not to mention his little project in progress with Cloud and Sephiroth that had been going for longer than the Nibelheim incident.

He loved Seph, Zack didn't trust Cloud and Aeris's safety with him when(if) he woke up. Not to mention Aeris couldn't move them both.

They needed a decoy.

The chocobos helped, and he watched his family go.

Better Aaron mad than all of them dead.

**Red**

(Cloud)

_Turk Zack AU_

Red.

It was everywhere.

Splattered all over, blood soaked on everything. The smell of it burning in the air as flames cast more of that horrible red light on his town.

Where was his mom?

He had seen her running, and only hoped she had escaped.

Aaron has screamed something before he had taken off after Sephiroth. Something about something possessing the General.

He didn't like red.

So when soothing green curled around him, he had reached for it.

Cloud woke up to Aeris.

Looking around, dazed, he realized that it wasn't Nibelheim.

And there was no red.

**Boss**

(Zack, Tseng)

_Turk Zack AU_

"Idiot."

"Missed you too, boss."

Tseng didn't hesitate to hit Zack upside the head, hard. "You let yourself get captured. What reason?"

The man, who so far had been keep out of Midgar, just smiled. His luck was running out, though. Tseng had his orders.

"I had to do something. The others are slow asses, and you know how hyper I am."

Normally, Tseng wouldn't have hesitated to agree. But Zack looked tired, more than just what the bruising on his face could account for.

Though he could see Zack was also pleased.

Family knew family, after all.

**Loyalty**

(Tseng, other)

_Turk Zack AU_

The room was silent, except for the rustle of papers. Tseng said nothing, only kept his eyes focused on a non-existing spot. He knew the man was trying to provoke him, but Tseng had been trained by the best, and he did not provoke easily.

"Tell me, how did a half-dead man manage to not only escape his troop escort, as well as the Turks, and steal all the chocobos in camp?"

"He was a Turk, Sir."

Rufus looked up finally. A long moment passed, and then he smiled.

"I expect the same level of loyalty, Tseng. Remember that. Dismissed."

**Lament**

(Zack/Sephiroth/Cloud)

_Turk Zack AU_

"I'm sorry."

Sephiroth's words were almost silent, and he was hunched in on himself.

In front of him, Cloud was silent, frowning. He wasn't ready to forgive yet. Not after what Sephiroth had done.

Zack wasn't sure what to do. He'd already forgiven Seph for nearly putting him through a wall, but it wasn't his town that Seph had burned down.

Still, Seph was truly sorry. Zack could hear that in his voice. The unvoiced lament.

Not that he could force Cloud to forgive.

All he could do was be there for them both.

**Rush**

(Zack/Sephiroth/Cloud, Aeris/Aaron)

_Turk Zack AU_

They stopped in Mideel.

Mostly ignored by Shin-Ra. Happy locals, willing to let people with glowing eyes and famous faces stay.

Seph's hair was short, Cloud's growing out.

The other three were on a perpetual rush from the sheer amount of lifestream that bubbled to the surface.

Going to the beach was fun, as Aeris would run out, laughing, green, too pale to see in the sunlight, curled up into the air behind her. Zack and Aaron would dig their toes into the sand, eyes half-closed as they heard things clearer here than anywhere except back home.

Home.

**Trip**

(Aaron, Zack)

_Turk Zack AU_

It was at Cloud's insistence that they go out to start catching the damn things. Who knew the kid had a knack for breeding them?

Looking at the amazing chocobo that Cloud was working through its paces, Zack heard Aaron come up behind him.

"You should take him north. They have some excellent birds there."

Eyeing his brother, Zack snorted. "When you say north, you mean where there is snow."

The other man grinned. "Would I do that to my baby brother?"

"Twin, and yes."

The grin was his answer. Zack sighed.

Still, he started planning in his head.

**Ephemeral**

(Sephiroth)

_Turk Zack AU_

Sometimes, he fears.

They are only short bursts, coming and vanishing as quickly as the green tendrils that sprout up after Aeris when she was too close to the lifestream, but it wasn't something Sephiroth could stop.

So little in his life went well. Not his birth, his childhood, or his freedom. Not until he had met the Fairs and been sucked into their world.

Still, watching the others, Aaron, Zack, Aeris, and Cloud...he fears.

Because, like Aeris, he's always had the specter of Hojo over him.

And now he's just waiting for it to return.

**Drift**

(Jenova)

_Turk Zack AU_

He had almost come.

Part of her, gone from the whole, had almost returned.

She howled as pain flared along the ties that had bound them, and a flash of memory, of those who had sealed her made her pull back more than the pain.

She'd not be caught again.

After, the threads that bound him to her had mostly faded, vanished into the painful green.

Not all.

With those few, she could still reach out and call to him.

Call him to her.

The words would be slow, careful, a drift of sound along the lines.

He would come.

**Slipper**

(Zack, Aeris)

_Axel Zack AU_

They had been sleeping, trying to get a bit of recovery. Aeris had been stretched out, boots off, head pillowed on Zack's chest, listening the thump-thump of his heartbeat.

Always a soothing sound, especially now. With so many people losing their hearts.....

As if drawn by the sound under her ear, one of the harmless ones appeared.

Well, not really harmless. A minor one.

Almost instantly, Zack grabbed the nearest thing and flung it, hard.

It dissolved under Aeris's boot.

Blinking, Zack collected it, offering it back to Aeris.

"Your slipper, my lady?"

Giggling, she took it back.

**Dream**

(Sephiroth)

_Axel Zack AU_

Sephiroth dreams.

He dreams of feathers brushing his legs, his back. He dreams of muscles he doesn't use around his hips and spine, supporting wings that he does not really have.

He dreams of clothing lined with red, and Cloud dressed in the same color.

He dreams of Cloud flying, anger in those blue eyes.

The dreams, he does not understand. Only that they are tied to what is going on.

He still doesn't understand, not even close, when the him in the dream looks at real him with a smile and says three words.

"Ask the Nobody."

**Blue**

(Cloud)

_Axel Zack AU_

There are some things Cloud knows.

He knows that Sephiroth is the General, and always will be, even when the world is coming to an end.

He knows that Aeris will always care for them, be there to cure their hurts and heal their hearts.

He knows that he will follow where they lead, because they are the world to him.

He knows that Zack has -blue- eyes.

Except when they are green.

As cat green as Sephiroth's, as bright as Aeris's. But they aren't supposed to be.

Because Zack has impossibly blue eyes.

Cloud knows that.

**Lampshade**

(Sephiroth, Zack)

_Axel Zack AU_

Zack and Sephiroth paused, eyes going wide. The thing they were looking at didn't match a damn thing in Zack's memories, and he glanced at Sephiroth, just to make sure.

"Seph?"

The other man never took his eyes off the heartless they faced. "Yes Zack?"

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

A shift. "Are you seeing a heartless that appears to be a...lampshade?"

"Yeah. Nice to know I'm not that crazy."

A snort was Sephiroth's answer to -that- comment.

Zack grinned. "Love you too."

"You're insane. We just happened to like you that way."

**Styling**

(Zack, Axel)

_Axel Zack AU_

The marks on the heartless were changing, as were some of the variations of the types.

Nobody was sure what it meant. Not even Zack. Nor the voice in his head.

Though it had a few theories.

Like the fact someone was manipulating the heartless. It had happened before, after all.

Zack worried.

The voice cheerfully said that if Zack did get his heart eaten, he'd be fine. Probably have red hair again.

Zack told the voice to shut it, and went to find Seph.

If someone, most likely Hojo, was messing with the heartless again....

Bad times ahead.

**Keen**

(Rufus)

_Casino AU_

The new casino was a sharp shape against the sky, standing out from among the surrounding buildings.

Seemed that Shin-Ra hadn't spared any expense in this new expansion of theirs.

The inside was no less amazing than the outside. Plush carpet, nice furnishings.

This was a casino built to draw in people and part them with their money.

Overlooking this process was Rufus, place here by his father, getting him ready for the main game. Blue eyes looking grey in this light, his swept a keen glance over the tables.

All full.

Excellent.

He had an image to uphold.

**Read**

(Sephiroth, Zack, Tifa)

_Casino AU_

Sephiroth had been trying to enjoy the simple pleasure of a decent cup of coffee when a large section of newspaper landed on the table in front of him. Cracking an eye, he glared at it somewhat, then transferred that to the grinning face of Zack Fair.

"What?"

Zack rolled his eyes, and pointed at the the article. When Sephiroth saw the name of his former employer and casino, he paused.

Then, he smiled.

Just walking into the room, Tifa paused, and frowned.

"You are plotting evil, aren't you?"

With a small smile, Sephiroth just sipped at his coffee.

**Rainy**

(Aeris, Cloud)

_Casino AU_

Humming softly, Aeris rose up on her tiptoes, trying to reach the jar she had saved for a rainy day. Shin-Ra counted. She squeaked slightly as hands wrapped around her waist and lifted her. After a moment of stillness, she snagged the jar, and was carefully set back on her feet.

"Thank you, Cloud."

The blond smiled at her, a bit sheepish. "Sorry, I would have warned you."

Aeris smiled at him, and kissed his cheek. "If I had had known you were there, I would have had you grab it for me."

He snorted, but kissed her back anyway.

**Glance**

(Tseng)

_Casino AU_

Glancing around, Tseng took note of the normal trouble makers. There were always some, people who thought they could cheat shamelessly and get away with it. Shin-Ra was a good casino, profitable. Most of that was due to the fact it had the finest security in the business.

Though when his roaming eye caught silver hair, he paused.

Sephiroth. Former Head of Security for the main building. Followed by Fair, Strife, and both Aeris -and- Lockhart.

Absently, Tseng wondered if he could take a vacation.

No, he had to keep an eye on those guys.

They were trouble.

Fair's fault.

**Cheat**

(Tseng, Rufus)

_Casino AU_

"They're here."

No need to ask who Tseng was talking about. He only used that tone of voice when it came to the thorn in President's side.

Absently wondering, again, on what crack his grandparents had been smoking to name their son President, Rufus was debating what to do.

Sephiroth and his followers were, while not -cheaters-, had a system that beat the casino's system.

President hated it. Rufus wanted to find out what it was.

Here, he'd have a better chance of studying it.

Rufus wouldn't kick them out.

"Leave them. Watch them."

Yet.

**Move**

(Sephiroth)

_Casino AU_

Sephiroth was pleased.

After the hag he called mother had married President Shinra, he had quit his rather profitable job and left. With him had come his friend, who had also worked for the casino, Zack, and the man's minions.

Though Tifa had hit him hard for calling them that.

They had made themselves minor legends among the various casino towns, but the favorite target they had was the Shin-Ra itself.

Sephiroth -really- disliked his mother.

Now there was a new target, right here in town. Even if Sephiroth tolerated Rufus more than President.

Seemed luck still favored them.

**Yellow**

(Zack)

_Casino AU_

Whatever the drink was, Zack wasn't sure. It was bright yellow and had an umbrella, and he just played with it while he watched the crowd. Aeris and Cloud were wandering back and forth, and Sephiroth and Tifa were testing the tables, just to see how they were.

Zack's job was to watch security patrols. If any of them made any moves that looked like they were going to drag one of them back, well, Zack would suddenly turn into glue on his people. Plus let the others know that there was a situation.

He liked playing guard.

**Local**

(Tifa)

_Casino AU_

This is her hometown, and Tifa knows the turf.

Nibelheim was where the Shinras started, running the dinky little bingo hall that turned into a gambling empire.

She used to work there, back before the place burned mysteriously. Was a coat check girl. Her daddy had been floor manager. Died in the fire.

Cloud's mom worked there, too. Cloud actually knew Sephiroth as a kid, before Jenova moved them away.

She wasn't sure she liked the Shinras coming back to her territory, the place that was home. Where they could just relax.

Her town. Hope Shin-Ra knew that.

**Admit**

(Aeris)

_Casino AU_

Aeris could admit she didn't play for the thrill, like Zack did. Or to get a bit of revenge, like Seph, Cloud, and Tifa did.

She played because she was good at it. It got her the money she could use to do what she really loved.

Shin-Ra had paid for her greenhouse, roses, and the hammock in the backyard that was big enough for her to snuggle someone in.

Giving the cocktail server a ten dollar chip, she took her drink, deciding if she should stay in or fold.

After all, she did need that new raised bed.

**Phone**

(Jenova)

_Casino AU_

The security footage had been...intriguing.

She wondered what else her darling step-son had been neglecting to mention about the guests of his casino.

Fingernail tapping on the phone, she pondered this.

After all, she did want to start interacting with her son again. The trust for him was due to be turned over soon, and she did want part of it.

Brushing back a bit of silver-blonde hair, Jenova smiled faintly. She picked up the phone, but did not call Rufus.

Instead, she called her secretary.

Perhaps she would just surprise them all.

She wanted to see Sephiroth's face.

Title: **Tongue Tied, Hunger, Countdown, Mako and Materia, Stranger**

Characters: Zack and various others

Five prompts centered around Zack Fair.

Zack was a name passed along through his family as far back as long anyone could remember. His middle name was Zack, and his father's first name had been the same.

So when his wife said that she was pregnant, it was easy to know what they were going to name it once the baby was born.

At least, he'd be able to suggest it, once he could talk again.

For the moment, though, he just put his hand against her belly, still flat, but he could just imagine the life in there.

Time for another Zack Fair.

"Mooooom, I'm hoooooome!"

Shaking her head, Jerusha knew where Zack was going to be as she came down the stairs. And sure enough, he was in the kitchen, digging through the fridge.

"I'm going to have dinner in an hour."

He just lifted his head and gave her puppy eyes. So tall already. Barely ten, and he was already looking over the fridge door. Her boy was going to be big.

"But I'm -hungry-."

"You are always hungry." She just shook her head. "Don't ruin your appetite for dinner, all right?"

His smile was so bright.

At ten, he told them he was going to join SOLDIER and be a hero. They just smiled at their baby boy.

At eleven, Jerusha found him practicing with his father's old sword. Nick later put it somewhere safe.

At twelve, they fought about it. He was their child, and there was a war.

At thirteen, Nick had a talk with the local recruiters and managed to get a promise that they wouldn't talk to Zack anymore.

At fourteen, they found the note their son had left them, telling them he had gone to Midgar on his own.

The kid was shivering.

Still, Angeal didn't move as he watched the newest kid to join SOLDIER go through his mako shots. This was the final step in the process. A person could pass every test out there, and still wash out here.

He didn't think the boy would. Zack Fair was stubborn as anything ever born.

That's why Angeal had agreed to mentor the boy. After turning down over a dozen requests to pick one of the new trainees, he finally selected the one he wanted.

Zack had the will. Angeal just needed to focus it.

Four years.

Four years since he had seen them, and he knew if they met him now, he'd be almost a stranger.

Still, his mom would fuss, and his dad would just have that proud smile. They'd both ask if he'd found someone settle with, and Zack would tease them back about being old.

He always meant to mail them a letter, give them a call, but being a SOLDIER took a lot of work, and he always forgot.

He wanted to tell them about Aeris. And about Angeal.

After this mission, he'd visit.

After Nibelheim.

Title: **Choose Life, Awkward, First Person Narration, Haunted, Remember**

Characters: Yuffie and various others

Same as above, only with Yuffie

She was the bodyguard of Lord Godo, the Emperor of Wutai. The head of his ninja, the best of the best.

She was also his wife.

She had a duty. Several, in fact.

This would lead to issues between them.

To follow the ninja? Or the wife? She was both, and this caused a conflict. Only she could decide.

Her sister had a child, and she thought about the boy's bright violet eyes, his boundless energy. He would need a playmate, even one seven years younger.

Hand ghosting over her belly, Amara went to tell her husband the news.

Yuffie frowned, picking herself back up. She would get it. She was a ninja, and ninja could do stuff like run along the top of the wall.

Sniffling, looking at her bloody knee, she stubbornly refused to cry.

She wasn't awkward, or anything like that. She just stumbled.

Could happen to anyone.

Sniffing again, she stood, and went to look for her mom, limping.

Mom was the best ninja ever. She'd make it all better and show Yuffie how to do it right. Not how her stupid cousin said it should be done.

Brightening, Yuffie plotted her revenge.

I won't give up and be like my old man.

He let Shin-Ra win, and is letting them do whatever they want here.

We aren't just rulers, we're guardians. We're supposed to protect the land and the people of Wutai. That's what Leviathan told us to do.

I bet Godo can't even call up the Leviathan's avatar anymore.

Well, I'm not weak, and I'm going to do something about this.

Just got to find the right materia to do it. In Shin-Ra territory.

Time for them to be their own downfall.

This ground is red with blood.

The trees no longer have green leaves. Instead, they are stained brown, the veins thick and crimson as they face the sun.

The roots are feeding on the dead who still roam this place.

Yuffie doesn't like it here.

She orders the capital to be moved, to a place where her people don't have to look at familiar and see the remains of those they lost.

Still, one tree goes with them.

Yuffie has is brought along. One day, she hopes the leaves turn green once more as they reach for sunlight.

For the fiftieth year since the festival started, the Empress, Lady Yuffie, has lead this ritual.

She walked to a specific beach, in her hands a paper boat holding a candle.

It is shaped more like a plane than a boat, but it does float, and the Empress lit the candle carefully, setting the item on the waves.

With a push, she let it go, and it began to float slowly out to sea.

Around her, more lights are blooming, and she smiles.

The Tiny Bronco had come to rest here.

For her, this was where the adventure really started.

Title: **Photograph, Bad Habit, Diary, Character's Children, Ghosts**

Tseng and various others

Tseng set

In his office, Tseng has very little in the way of personal decorations. This is where he worked. If he felt the need for things of his around, he would go to the lounge the Turks shared, or his home. When he was here, he was busy.

There was something, though.

On his desk, a picture frame sat.

In it was several pictures. Various shots of Turks, one of Rufus with Dark Nation, relaxed for once. A much younger Tseng with an older Wutanese couple.

Like most people, Tseng kept shots of his family close.

He was human, after all.

Pick. Flick. Pick. Flick. Pick. Flick. Pick....

"You're doing it again."

Focusing on the real world at the sound of Elena's voice, Tseng paused, looking at the file he had been looking at. A faint frown crossed his face as he saw the condition of the folder. The edges had been rather...ruined.

He really hated when he lost himself that much.

A new folder dropped on his desk, and he looked up to see Elena roll her eyes.

"Though you are going to be finding those bits all over for the next week."

That got another frown.

"Writing in your diary again?"

"Reno, what have I said about this?" Tseng tapped the book he was writing in.

"You said it was called a mission report file. I, however, know it's a diary."

Tseng rubbed his temple. "Why do I keep you around again?"

The redhead grinned. "Because Veld hired me, and you know I'm damn good at my job."

Pen tapping on the pages of the book, Tseng shook his head. Reno was being distracting.

He let Reno distract him.

Zack had been a friend, and Tseng had not wanted to write this mission ending.

He couldn't believe this day had finally come.

His son was marrying the daughter of Rufus Shinra.

It wasn't as if none of them knew it was going to happen. The children had been near inseparable since they were both old enough to toddle after each other.

Around them, former enemies, current friends, people he had never expected to see in this situation sat around.

Tseng's fingers curled around Elena's, and she smiled back at him.

Their son had grown up happy and healthy.

Even if he had a disturbing habit of following Strife into battle.

This was not what Tseng had expected.

Aeris smiled at him, and he saw Zack standing behind her, Elena silent in the SOLDIER's arms.

This did not make sense.

"Vincent is coming," Aeris said finally.

"Are we dead?" He did not like the idea he had failed another person he had responsibility for.

"No." She glanced at Zack.

Zack moved closer, picking up where Aeris had stopped. "You are...in between. Vincent can heal you, but it was better for you guys this way. Less pain. Less memories."

Tseng gave them a wry smile. "And to think people fear ghosts."

Title: **2 A.M., Blackmail, Cliche, Fireworks, First Kiss**

Characters: Tifa and various others

Tifa Lockhart set

Sighing, Tifa looked out the window. The clock on her bedside said that it was just past two in the morning. Not that she needed to look at it.

She'd woken up at two every night since her daddy had woken her up because he was crying. When she had asked, he said that Mom had gone away.

Tifa didn't like that he was so upset, and wondered if she could do something to help make him feel better.

Maybe if she could bring Mom back home?

It was something she thought about every time she woke up.

Reeve looked at her with a smile. "Are you blackmailing me?"

Tifa smiled back. "Yep. I'll tell Vincent you've been programming Cait to follow him around if you don't help me with Cloud's birthday present."

The man who was currently running most of the known world snorted. "Like he'd believe you."

"He believed me when I said that you picked that red of Cait's cape to match his."

A lipquirk, and then Reeve started to laugh aloud.

"All right, all right, you win. I'll help."

Tifa just smiled.

They both liked these games.

Wiping the goo from the latest monster to attack them from her hands, Tifa sighed.

Once, just -once-, she'd like to go someplace and not have some local wildlife try to munch on her or one of the others. Even better if the things stop trying to steal their things. It was like fighting a bunch of Yuffies, who were actually trying to hurt instead of playing.

Even the stupid plants had tried to eat them this time. When the plants were trying to eat you, it was just time to give up and assume everything was after you.

The world exploded into color, and Tifa was not ashamed to admit she yelped.

Who the hell had thought it brilliant to put fireworks here? Especially ones that went off at random like that?

And where were Denzel and Marlene?

Oooh, silly questions, weren't they?

Shaking her head, Tifa went looking for the kids and Yuffie. The other woman had come by for a visit, and seemed to enjoy corrupting the kids.

It was good to see them laugh, so she just let it happen.

And maybe she was getting old, and stopped worrying about the little things anymore.

The very first kiss Tifa could remember from someone who wasn't a parent was from a boy in her school when she was ten.

Her first kiss with Cloud hadn't been what she had hoped, but the world was ending, and she had the feeling he never really registered her besides "safe" and maybe "sister". So she let him off that hook.

She remembered the very first time Rude kissed her. That was the second best, even if he almost fidgeted himself to death.

The best kiss was the first time she kissed her daughter's downy hair.

**Flash, Bang, Action, Selection, Separation, Shy, Surprise, Wet, Huffy, Contract**

Characters: Various ones

Band AU

It wasn't the shows the bands put on that Aeris was watching. Those were all flash and fancy, and anyone could look good.

Instead, she watched the ones not performing. The way they interacted, the way they reacted around each other. She wanted a group that could work together.

There was no point, in her mind, of putting together a successful band if it was just going to fall apart in a year.

It was two groups that caught her eye. One was young, teens. The other looked mid-twenties.

They were friends. And tasty.

She hoped they could sing.

This was what Zack loved.

The thrumming beat as he tapped it out, the pulse of it in the back of his mind. A pulse that was always there, constantly being tapped out on whatever he could put his hands on.

Even if they didn't allow instruments in this competitions, everyone wanting the groups to sing and dance, Zack still had the beat in his head. It went tap-tap, even as he watched the other groups go.

The beat helped him in dance class, and it would help him here.

Heart pounding, he ignored the bright lights and looks, and just followed the beat.

Angeal watched, pleased, as Zack and his group went. They didn't sound half-bad, and it was nice to see that Zack really hadn't slept through all his dance lessons.

The others weren't bad, either. He'd seen both come to meet Zack after lessons now and again. Enough so that he knew their names were Reno and Cloud, and damned if Reno didn't remind him of Gen. Though Cloud seemed to be the sane one of the group. Poor kid.

They looked good, and Angeal was sure one of the managers would pick them.

Now, to go show them up.

"I want these two."

A bit surprised, if he didn't show it, Tseng looked at the statistics of the two groups Aeris had picked. Both groups were all male, the younger set ranging from fourteen to seventeen. The older was twenty three to twenty five.

The coloring of the groups echoed each other. Red, black, blond, and red, a more natural shade, black, and silver. Decent scores on singing and dancing.

"I don't see why not," he said finally. "Though...why them? They were good, but not the very best."

Aeris smirked. "Because they are friends."

"All right."

She smiled.

Hojo stared at his son, unable to believe what he had just heard.

"Excuse me?" he said softly, pale eyes narrowed.

Sephiroth looked back at him calmly. "I'm withdrawing from school. My job takes up too much time for me to continue for now."

A twitch Hojo was unable to keep down. "Your job...singing?" He sneered faintly. "You are going to be a doctor...."

"No, I will not." A long ongoing debate between them.

He frowned. "This is because of Hollander's bastard, isn't it? If not from him, then that useless friend of his."

"Goodbye, Father."

Turning, Sephiroth left.

Cloud had been surprised when their names had been called at the competition. Not that they were -bad-, but there had been better groups that weren't called.

Given how they acted backstage, though, he was relieved.

They had been given a card with a time and location, and Reno and Zack hadn't stopped bouncing since.

Not that Cloud had either.

Now they were here, and they weren't alone in the waiting room. There was a girl in the corner, reading a magazine, and a few, more familiar, faces.

One of which was Angeal.

Cloud officially liked this idea now.

Watching her two selections interact, Aeris smiled. An added benefit was they were much prettier than she had realized. And all of them had looked quite fit.

Oh, the stunts she could arrange. Especially since it seemed that most of them were willing to put up with a lot of flirting, giving it right back.

Rufus Shinra had snagged up some of the better singers, but Aeris just knew she had the better groups. With their help, she'd make Cetra Labels really take off.

Standing, she got their attention.

"Hello there," she said with a smile. "I'm Aeris."

"Your manager."

The very first thing Aeris did was their new manager was take them flower shopping.

Though there were protests against this, she ignored them. Instead, she dragged them around, comparing flowers again each of the guys.

Finally, though, she had enough, and gave each of them a firm stare. Even Sephiroth stilled under that look, and Aeris made sure to give each of them said Look.

"Boys, I know we just met, but I need you to trust me. Your primary audience is going to be female."

Her grin turned wicked.

"When I'm done, they'll all be wet for you."

This, Genesis thought with a mental huff, was -not- why he had pestered Angeal into doing this.

He had expected hordes of women to fling themselves at him, all with impure intentions.

Not one girl, who was younger than him, telling him to stand still while she found his color. As if Genesis didn't already know his colors. He wasn't Sephiroth, after all.

"Aren't we ever going to be done?" he snapped finally, scowling some at Aeris.

"Genesis."

His name, in that tone of voice, made him hunch down.

Aeris smiled brightly as Angeal rested his hand on Genesis's shoulder.

Sighing, Reno waited for the family lawyer to finish looking at the paperwork. He even did it somewhat patiently, only fidgeting a little bit.

"This was done by one of the Gaia Firm lawyers, wasn't it?"

Reno blinked at the man. "Yeah. Seems our new bosslady's mom owns the firm. Howyda know?"

Lazard smiled. "They use certain sorts of recycled paper. It's nothing bad," he said before Reno could ask. "I was merely curious."

"It all looks to be correct. I can have a look at the others contracts, but Gaia has a good reputation."

"Congratulations, you're in a band."

**Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, A Year of Life**

Characters: Zack, Cloud

Zack Fair prompt.

Beside him, Cloud's eyes glowed green.

Or maybe it was just because his eyes saw everything in green. Pale green sparked constantly across his vision, reminding Zack of his Mako shots.

Outside their shelter, Zack heard the rain come down. Rain always reminded him of spring, and he took it as a good sign. They needed good signs.

"Spike, we might have a wet morning ahead of us."

Not that Zack minded. Everything seemed so fresh anymore. As if they hadn't seen it in forever.

Free of the labs, with Cloud beside him, Zack just smiled as the rain fell.

At least the weather was nice.

Sighing, Zack scrubbed more at Cloud's hair, grateful that his friend had gained enough awareness to hold himself steady. Zack wished he had some decent supplies to wash with.

Well, why he was at it, he'd wished they hadn't run into that skunk, either. His sense of smell had died fast enough that he only caught bursts of it now and then.

So much ew.

He and Cloud had been due a bath anyway. After he got done with Cloud, he planned on washing their clothing.

They were about to walk on their own.

Running.

Running hard, running fast.

They were running out of time, out of space, out of places to hide.

A stitch tight in his side, Zack continued to move, Cloud leaning against his side.

They couldn't move fast enough like this, and he didn't want to make the choice he was about to make.

Settling his friend into a sheltered nook, he looked at the kid.

Was it only two years that separated them?

"We'll be fine, Cloud."

Turning, he walked away.

He wasn't some scared animal, and he wasn't something to be trifled with.

Zack Fair, SOLDIER 1st Class.

When had it gotten so cold?

Looking up at the sky, which seemed so much further than it had just a little bit ago, Zack wondered if winter had come?

Had it been winter when they had escaped? It was only a year ago.

Seemed like it had been so much shorter.

Something fell on him, and he blinked.

Rain.

He wasn't reminded of spring. Too cold now.

He was dying.

Bastards.

Twenty two. He thought.

Let Cloud be okay.

If nothing else, let Cloud survive this.

As his vision started to gray out, Zack shivered.

It felt like winter.

Cloud waited patiently.

Zack needed to get up.

The blood had been washed away by the rain, which was sticky on his skin. Absently, Cloud brushed at it, not liking it. It reminded him of the green.

When Zack didn't get up, he reached out and nudged his shoulder, one hand still on the sword.

Come -on-, Zack.

Maybe Zack was just tired. They'd been running a long time.

A whole lifetime.

Finally, Cloud stood up, wobbling.

Zack had wanted to get the Aeris girl. Cloud knew Zack was tired, so he'd get her for him.

Then they'd go home.

**Kenshin, Victoria, Angela, Grim, Gatherings**

Various

Character's Children prompt.

Kenshin watches his dad carefully. Tseng is showing him how to take care of a sword.

Mom was somewhere on a mission, and Kenshin knows that she is due back in a week. So he's fine with her being gone, since his dad was there.

Course, when Mom came back, she said she'd show him how to take apart and reassemble her gun, and that the three of them would go out and see if they couldn't find Ken his own personal weapon.

If he was going to protect Vicky some day, he would need it.

Just like their parents.

Sighing, Victoria watched as her father left the room. He was moving slower every day, and she worried about him.

Not that she'd admit it. She -was- a Shinra, and they didn't let things like feelings show that easily.

Though Ken always got a smile.

Still, something was going on, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

The teen played with a long tuft of blonde hair, thinking about the various details she had observed.

Suddenly, it hit her.

She needed to find Ken. And the others.

Especially if she figured right, and this involved Sephiroth.

"What's going on, Mom?"

Tifa froze, and she turned to face her daughter. When she had finally said yes to Johnny asking for a date, she had never expected things to end up like this. Them married, and with a beautiful daughter.

Who was just as stubborn as both her parents.

"Ken and Vicky both called and said something is going on, and that it involves Sephiroth."

Angela's dark eyes were intent, and Tifa sighed.

"We don't want you involved."

That got a snort. "It involves Sephiroth, so that means Uncle Cloud will be there."

Tifa grumbled.

Damn smart kids.

By the time Grim showed up, it was obvious to everyone that something bad was happening. All the adults were being evasive, and avoiding anything that even remotely resembled a direct answer.

Grim was the youngest of the bunch, though he and Vicky were a match in the blue eyed, blond department.

As he sat next to Angela, he looked at the others.

"Father is talking to Nanaki and Cloud. They're going."

Marlene, her jaw set, shook her head.

"Not alone, they aren't."

Family was important, and none of them was going to let family go into a fight alone.

Cloud looked at the kids, then at Vincent. At least one of those kids could be blamed on Vincent, even if Cid was the boy's father. The look he gave clearly said "stop them."

Vincent's look back just as clearly said "you have fun trying."

Cloud looked at the kids again.

He'd watched them all grow up.

"You can't come."

Denzel snorted. "I want to see you make us stay."

"Your parents will -kill- me."

Victoria quirked a pale brow. "And how do you think we'd feel, left behind? It's our world, too."

There was nothing to say against that.


	10. Alternate Universe 2,Shakespeare,Angeal

_**Alternate Universe 2**_

**Winning**

(Cloud, Zack)

Watching as the mix of Holy and lifestream swept over the land, blinding green, Cloud held his breath.

Then he heard it. The cheer.

Pulling his helmet off, the blond blinked a bit dazed at the light of the room. Zack's bright grin was his first sight.

"You did it, Spike!"

Cloud stared. Processed. Then he grinned just as bright. He whooped, and Zack grabbed him, and they jumped around in laughing circle.

"You just beat -Seven-," Zack cheered again. "First one to do it, too. We're going to get to meet the designer!"

Meeting Sephiroth.

Cloud grinned even more.

**Announcement**

(Sephiroth, Aeris)

"We got a winner."

Sephiroth looked up from his sketchpad, blinking at his best friend and partner. "Finally?"

Aeris smiled. "Guy by the name of Cloud Strife. System registered it last night. He beat your avatar. It's all over the web already."

Nodding slightly, Sephiroth smiled faintly. "So now we'll have people trying for faster wins."

Now that the players knew the game wasn't unbeatable, even more copies would sell.

Another grin from Aeris. "Dinner with the winner and his guest is Friday. Don't forget."

Waving her off, he picked up his pad again.

He had a game to finish.

_**Shakespeare**_

**No Woman**

(Hojo)

_No man of woman born_

The line of an old play ran through his mind, and Hojo smiled at the squalling infant being cleaned. His prize was born from a Goddess, even if the incubator was a flawed moral woman.

Hopefully, her flaws would not be passed along. Obsession was such a messy thing. Especially on such a worthless thing as guilt.

He would teach teach the child worship, though. Jenova deserved worship.

Looking at milky blue eyes, already seeing the glow of mako, Hojo smiled.

This new god would not be tainted by mortal failings.

Obsession would not touch Sephiroth.

_**Angeal Hewley**_

**Airship**

(Angeal, Sephiroth, Genesis)

Stretched out on his back, feeling the sun soak into his skin, Angeal watched the sky. On either side of him was Sephiroth and Genesis. He had convinced them to join him for the afternoon. There was nothing going on, everything was calm, and it wasn't as if they were far from camp.

"That one looks like an airship."

Glancing towards Sephiroth, Angeal saw him pointing to a cloud. Looking up, he smiled, and hummed agreement.

It was nice when Sephiroth got the hang of the games that they had been trying to teach him.

Plus relaxing was nice.

**Betwixt**

(Angeal, Genesis)

"Betwixt and between his goddess and his brother, he...."

Genesis was cut off when an apple bounced off his shoulder. Yelping a bit, he glared at his friend. "What was -that- for?"

Swinging upside down from a limb of the tree, knees hooked over the branch, Angeal just looked at Genesis.

"You," he said, as serious as any ten year old ever could be, "are -obsessed-."

"Please. Loveless is a classic story. Better than you and your stupid -honor-."

They frowned at each other, and Angeal flung himself at Genesis.

Wasn't their first fight. Wouldn't be their last.

**Emerald**

(Angeal, Zack)

"Angeal! Aaaangeal! Did you see that chocobo? It's emerald-green!"

Amused, Angeal just watched his new student bounce in place as he looked at the birds that were running in the field around the stables. They had come down so he could see how the boy could ride. But this...was just damn fun to watch.

"They come in different colors, Zack."

Something of his tone betrayed his amusement, and Zack looked at him, a bit sheepish, looking younger than his fifteen years.

There was something there, underlying the bounce and distractibility.

Angeal couldn't wait to bring it out.

**Fuzz**

(Angeal, OC)

"Daddy?"

Turning, he found the boy poking at a fuzzyworm that was crawling along the tree.

The three year old poked at it again. "Daddy, what?"

Crouching next to him, he caught the boy's hand so he didn't poke hard. "It's a caterpillar, Angeal. You know what butterflies are, right?"

A nod.

"This turns into one of them. You need to be careful. They're more fragile than they look, and when they are lost, they're gone forever."

Angeal nodded and just held his arms up for a hug.

Simple words.

Honor would come about later.

**Willow**

(Angeal, Cloud)

Under a willow tree, three people waited.

One stood, and moved to meet him.

Cloud had to look up to meet his eyes. "Hello."

"Hello. They're napping, been waiting a while." He held out his hand. "I'm Angeal."

Memories of a long ago mission, which ended in tears and a sword for Zack. One eventually passed to Cloud.

Cloud took the man's hand. "I'm Cloud."

This was the man who Zack had told stories of.

This was the man who Zack had modeled himself after, and, in turn, had Cloud.

A strange legacy, passed with a sword.


	11. Crossovers 2

_**Crossovers 2**_

**There Are Other Worlds**

(Cloud, Zack, Aeris, Sephiroth, and a surprise)

Dark Tower crossover

They had all been waiting for Cloud. The only one left alive, he had been the lynchpin. Still holding a part of Zack, and refusing to let go of Sephiroth as much as Sephiroth refused to let go of him, Cloud was the one holding the pair there. And Aeris refused to go without them.

When Cloud died, though, they found themselves looking at a grizzled stranger on the edge of a desert. On his hips were a pair of old, well-made guns.

The man looked at them. "Have you seen the man in black?"

Nobody missed the irony.

**Ka**

(Same as above)

Dark Tower crossover

Ka.

The word was strange, not one any of them understood. The man had heard their story, and said that they were from a world that was on the edge of moving on, as his own had. That hadn't helped explain things to any of them a bit, but he was fairly determined about it. Aeris had decided that arguing wasn't going to help, and just asked about him.

His name was Roland, and he was looking for the man in black. It was part of his ka.

Destiny. Fate. After describing it, Aeris understood.

Ka. Interesting word.

**Mohaine**

(Same as above)

Dark Tower crossover

Roland watched them interact by the fire. There was undercurrents there he didn't understand, nor did he want to. This time, this moment by the fire, this was their point of connection. Tomorrow, he would leave them to find their own path in this world. His way laid to the man in black and to the Dark Tower. His path went into Mohaine Desert.

They were a true ka-tet. Many from one. He knew he would hear stories of them later.

This ka-tet seemed to be made of strong people.

They would need it here, these four bound souls.

**Tetchy**

(Cloud, Zack, Aeris, and Sephiroth)

Cross with Firefly.

"What did you -do-?" That was from Aeris, who was listening over the open line as the people on the other ship were using some highly inventive threats. Cloud was beside her, ready to fly.

"Told him he was a jian huo." A shrug from Zack, who was in the doorframe. "He's also rather fond of the Alliance."

"Once we are done playing," came Sephiroth through the comm, "it seems we've collected a job. We're to meet a Firefly class out by Highgate. Called Serenity. "

"Ku." Zack's grinned widened. "What sort of job?"

"Package delivery."

"Fun times."

**Gate**

(Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth)

Crossed with Heralds of Valdemar.

There was a long line of ties between the Heralds and the Hawkbrothers. One of the original teachers of the Mage Collegium had been one, and there were still travel back and forth, helping keep old alliances going strong. The strongest mages, though, went to the Vale.

Whatever Angeal had been expecting when he and Genesis had gone through the Gate, this wasn't it. Warm air, and Gen muttering of flowers. Silver caught his eye, and he looked over. Tall, pale, and dressed in dark, heavily decorated robes.

"My name is Sephiroth. You'll be studying with my teacher."

**Chosen**

(Angeal, Genesis)

Crossed with Heralds of Valdemar.

The world just seemed to go mad. Angeal didn't know what happened, but he only covered his head and waited for the things to stop flying around. He could hear the comments already. Some were angry, most were worried. Wasn't like he was trying to hit people, but he wasn't going to put up with being bullied either. Though he didn't know how it happened.

Then all the voices stopped, and he looked, wondering what had caused it.

A Companion was there.

He looked up, meeting big, blue eyes, and just fell.

_My name is Genesis._

**Love**

(Aron, Zack)

Crossed with Heralds of Valdemar.

_I'll always be here for you._

The voice, strong and sure, cut through all the other things in his head, making the sickness fade. In a frantic moment of need, Zack grabbed hold of the voice. Opening tired, sticky eyes, he looked up, only able to focus on the blue. "Wha...."

_You are my Chosen. I'm Aron. And I'll never, ever leave you alone._

The words came with a wave of love, washing through and pushing away the feelings of sickness and fear and guilt that pressed so tight to him.

Crying, Zack clung to his Companion.

**Following**

(Tifa, Cloud)

Crossed with Heralds of Valdemar.

She had never expected to go this far south, but this was where he was, and so she would make sure to stay careful. He was here, so she would go to him.

It had happened once or twice, Companions going out of the country to pick their Chosen, but not this far. Didn't matter. All that mattered was the boy she watched, his hair making him easy to track.

Not expecting him to know what she was, Tifa followed, hiding far better than a white horse should.

She and Cloud would met, and her life would be complete.

**Suicide is Painless**

(Zack, surprises)

Most people, when they thought of the Wutai War, they thought of the SOLDIERs, Sephiroth. The fighters, the ones who came home without limbs or didn't come home at all, those were the ones that everyone pointed out when they were talking about regular troopers.

But Zack knew there were a lot of people who made sure that more people came back than didn't. He had been helping out there for a while, playing guard when the Wutanese targeted those vital places.

Though watching Radar say everything that Blake was a half second beforehand was always highly entertaining.

**The Game**

(Zack, Duncan MacLeod)

Highlander Crossover

Sitting up was painful, and Zack groaned, pressing a hand to his chest. He...the blood there was still sticky. How was he even able to move? Looking down, he grimaced. That was a lot of holes. Hell with how was he able to move, how was he even -alive-?

"Welcome to the Game."

Looking up, Zack tensed at the man, who stood there in a long coat, his nerves jangling. "Who...?"

"My name is Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. From a world that is long gone. I'm Immortal, as are you."

This was going to be weird.


	12. Deadly Sin: Lust, Gluttony, Pride

_**Deadly Sin: Lust**_

**Love**

(Aeris)

Love. It was a funny word. Could be applied to so many things.

The one she was currently looking at had to do with a tall, blue-eyed SOLDIER that her mother would have fits over. Though he wasn't like she had heard the SOLDIERs to be like. He wasn't mean, he wasn't cruel, and he didn't do whatever he wanted. For a person that was supposed to be a scary man, he was rather...nice.

And he made her stomach do flips when he gave her that small little smile like that.

So, a pink dress?

**U.S.T**

(Sephiroth)

It was something he never felt before, but Sephiroth said nothing, just watched.

He wasn't sure what it was, but when he was near Angeal, he found himself wanting to reach out to touch. It wasn't something he was used to, so Sephiroth usually only let the actions out when he was in the middle of a spar. There he was able to indulge, just a touch here, a press of bodies there as they grappled.

Sometimes, he wondered if Angeal knew, but the man never said anything, so Sephiroth just took the stolen touches when he could.

**Sweat**

(Cloud/Tifa)

Panting, he nuzzled at her shoulder, tasting the sweat there. Her breath was just as quick as his, and Cloud pressed another kiss to Tifa's shoulder. Okay, he was a bit slow, and she had finally made the first moves, but he did have to admit, this was nice. Tracing his fingers down her arm, Cloud smiled at the woman snuggled in against him.

They had been through a lot, and Cloud had some sense beaten into his skull. Enough to realize what he had here and now. No more moping over things lost.

Smiling, he hugged her close.

**Triumph**

(Rufus)

With a smirk, Rufus watched as they hauled his father's body away, industrious little bees cleaning the desk up, removing the bloodstains.

His father had been a fool, and had paid for it.

When the new chair was brought, Rufus took it, settling into padding, fingertips brushing the pale leather.

He had won.

This was everything that he had wanted, and he would prove that his way was superior. He had wanted this, since he was old enough to know what power really was.

He had triumphed, and all of this was his now.

The world was his prize, now.

**Makeup**

(Honeybee girl, Cloud)

She made him sit as she looked him over, pale and gold in the lights.

Why he asked her to do makeup for him, she didn't really know. Didn't want to know. As she studied him, all big blue eyes and bright blond hair, she was flipping through colors in her mind.

Her job was sex, desire, making fantasies come true. The Honeybee was all about fantasy, and she was good at her job.

If he wanted to have his makeup done, she would do her best to make him breathtaking.

Not that it was hard. He was pretty anyway.

**Charm**

(Snows)

They are the personification of lust. All the villagers know that, and keep out of their way. Just a look, a smile, and one is theirs. Nobody goes out alone, because if they get caught by one, a second person -might- be able to free them. Might, if they aren't caught themselves.

It's always the strangers, the rare hunter that comes through looking for them, the Snows.

They are charmers, feeding on their prey's desires for as long as the poor soul lasts.

Then they start hunting again, sleek, lovely women, a smile on their face.

A cold, hungry smile.

**Want**

(Zack/Aeris)

Heavily implied sex.

Her smell, the feel of her skin. The way her breath caught when he ran his fingertips up her side. All of that made him smile, and Zack brushed his nose along Aeris's neck, feeling her shiver against him.

He liked the way she shifted under him, around him. He liked to hear her groans, to feel her nails in his back as she clung to him. Felt good.

Was it love? Maybe. All he knew was that she was enjoying it as much, which was fine by him.

Sinking down, groaning softly, made Zack want to love her.

_**Deadly Sin: Gluttony**_

**Experiments**

(Hojo)

It was everything a scientist could ever want. Unlimited funding, as many subjects as he could test on.

Hojo put it to good use. He had so many projects going that even he forgot about minor details until reminded of them. Like the fact Sephiroth was allergic to nuts. An annoying imperfection, though shared by Hollander's failures.

Though why shouldn't he indulge? He was the reason that Shin-Ra held the lands they did. He was the one who would find the Promised Land.

If he lost a project or two, who cared? He had the supplies to make plenty more.

**Threes**

(Don Corneo)

There are always so many of them. All of them offering themselves up to him, wanting the profit he represented.

What else was he supposed to do but indulge himself? The scraps and remains went to his men, and still there was too many to handle. It's why he limited it to three girls a night. No need to glut himself on them too fast.

Well, maybe he would, one day. Just take all three and enjoy them until he was sick of it.

Maybe. Right now, he had three lovely ladies in front of him.

Ooh, a shy one.

**Feast**

(Sephiroth, Zack)

Zack made an amused sound. This, he never expected to see.

Sprawled on his count, all loose-limbed and looking particularly sleep was Sephiroth. The man looked like an extremely happy, leather-wearing cat.

Course, he -had- just put away enough food to feed three or four of Zack's non-SOLDIERy friends. Not that Zack had expected any less, given how much a SOLDIER could eat anyway.

Though watching Seph gorge himself silly had been Zack's plan from the beginning. Not that he could have done anything else, once he found out Seph had never gotten a real home-cooked meal.

He so won.

**Power**

(Rufus, Rude)

When his father first sent him to Junon to start his real training on running the business, Rufus had been pleased. Finally, all of his hard work was beginning to pay off, and he would get the power that he wanted.

Every chance he got, he took on more, waiting for the rewards he was sure to get.

Responsibility piled on responsibility, until Rude told him to stop. That he was just playing his father's game.

His desire had exceeded his ability.

Rude.

Rude always meant what he said. Which meant he was playing his father's puppet.

No any more.

**Guilt**

(Lucrecia, Vincent)

She wasn't really there, but in a way, she also was. Her body rested, encased in crystal, alone and forgotten.

At least, that had been her wished.

Instead, she had a regular visitor.

She wished he had gone on with his life, once he was free again. Why had he chosen to wallow here, in his guilt and refuse to move on? It was another mark of her mistakes, just as she was one of his.

He refused to let go, to sink into his past and be unwilling to free himself.

Lucrecia watched Vincent feed on his guilt.

**Gutted**

(Genesis)

Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal. Three names every SOLDIER knew. More than a few worshiped them with every bit of their soul.

Genesis used that to his advantage when he deserted.

The original idea was to go alone. Then he decided that having a few people along would be useful.

Then he discovered the way to make clones of himself.

After that, he waited, luring more and more to his side. The clones did not live long, and the more bodies, the better.

He left the SOLDIER program gutted. Not that he cared.

Taking what he needed and then some, Genesis left.

_**Deadly Sin: Pride**_

**Path**

(Cloud)

He stared at the boy. The invitation to play was unexpected and Cloud hesitated. He wasn't sure hot to react.

For a long moment, Cloud fought with himself, too young to really understand his hesitation. One part of him wanted to belong. Wanted to belong so strongly and desperately that it screamed for him to accept.

The rest, though, was a very wary boy who had seen the way that other children treated each other.

Cloud turned his nose up at the offer. He was -better- than that. let them prove they were little kids.

He chose his path.

**Change**

(Barret)

It had been a long, hard struggle to this point. Sitting back down in his chair after arguing yet another point in favor for this plan, Barret grinned at Dyne. His best friend just rolled his eyes back.

The mayor sighed, then nodded. "All right, Wallace. You win. We'll accept the request from Shin-Ra."

Some of the older council memebers looked as if they had a bitter taste in their mouths. Barret didn't care. Theis was the chance for a better life for them all. Specially like people like Dyne, who had a growing family.

He was staking everything on it.

**Curiosity**

(Jessie)

"I'm sorry, but we have to let you go."

Feeling cold, Jessie just looked at her boss. Her former boss. She knew just why she was being fired. Had been so -sure- that she was better than the system she had been trying to get into.

Her boss was a nice guy, and he let her go without calling the MPs. Now, though, she was out of a job, and with bills to pay. Plus, where she -used- to work was one of the very few who didn't deal with Shin-Ra.

She needed a stiff drink and a friendly ear.

**Better**

(Biggs)

Running, ignoring the shouts of the MP behind him, Biggs ducked down an alley. He hated it when they noticed him, but it was hard not to mock them. They were so clueless at time, it wasn't funny. Imagine actually -working- for Shin-Ra.

They didn't have the honor or privilege of working for AVALANCHE. Shin-Ra actually feared them. It was heady stuff.

Ducking through another alley, hearing the shouts fading, Biggs scowled. One day, he was going to prove to them that he had been wrong all along.

Imagining their faces when they realized he'd been right made him laugh.

**Fall**

(Wedge)

It should hurt. Really should, and he didn't deny that he had screamed as he fell. He was only human, not like Cloud.

There wasn't any pain, though. Just numbness. Which was nice.

Cloud had remembered his name, and there had been tears in Tifa's eyes.

He always knew Barret cared about them. He always talked about the places they would visit after they dealt with Shin-Ra.

It was something good they had done, and ever as he got colder, Wedge couldn't help but be proud. This would do it. From now on, everyone would see what Shin-Ra was like.


End file.
